Bevreemdende Brecht

Following heavy rains, Maatschappij Discordia almost by accident (re)discovers the complete works of German radical theatre maker Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956). In their flooded workspace, the members of Discordia refuse to accept anything as a coincidence. If anyone can offer us a fresh perspective in these times of murky truths and razor-sharp polarisation, it is Brecht.

The actors consider Brecht's 'Verfremdungseffekt', a storytelling technique in which the audience is made very aware of the theatre environment. He did this, for instance, by quick set changes or an illogical sequence of scenes. Can his ideas on alienation help us in a world of fake news or post-truth too?

The actors engage with Brecht's plays, letters and poetry. They once more take one of the benchmarks of Western theatre history and unceremoniously turn it inside out. We are given new glasses with which to look at the everyday reality around us. Nor are the others, those who helped Brecht in his ideas around alienation, forgotten.

• Maatschappij Discordia is a collective of emancipated actors that for decades has been performing at Kaaitheater and is back in Brussels with two performances. The company was single-handedly responsible for the renewal of text theatre in the Low Countries; they introduced a thinking play in the moment, the use of costumes and designer fashions, furniture and objects and an inquisitive, questioning and open text treatment.  We are certainly looking forward to their lively and playful work.