The Postmodern World of Muller and Wilson, or How Hamletmachine Completed a Brechtian Dream
Abstract
The official use of Bertolt Brecht as an
adjective illustrates just how much of a seminal figure he has been to the theatre over
the past century. Brecht and his theories have been cited as the influence on countless
theatrical artists. However none may be as important as the German playwright, Heiner
Muller, and the American director, Robert Wilson. These two men were at the forefront
of the Avant-Garde movement commonly referred to as Postmodernism. Both created
strikingly imaginative works that pushed the theatre in innovative and stimulating
directions. The thrust of this paper will show how Postmodernism, in particular the
works of Muller and Wilson, became the actualization of Brecht’s theories on the Epic
Theatre.