Cloud Nine: A Work of Agitprop

Abstract

Epic theater, which is formed by Bertolt Brecht in the early 20^th century and peaks in the following decades, challenges the persistent drama convention initiated first by Aristotle. Bertolt Brecht, who is propelled by Marxist convictions and dialectical conception of history while shaping his epic theatre, aims to expose social degradation, economic exploitation and political manipulation by means of epic plays. Brecht, who tries to thwart the illusion of the fourth wall through epic theatre, encourages his audience into critical and interventionist thinking so that he can warn them who have been deceived for ages under the excuse of inevitability of human fate. Acting on Brecht’s innovative art and legacy, socialist feminist Caryl Churchill deals with such themes as fixed gender roles, patriarchy and power relations and she employs Brechtian epic devices in her works to deconstruct colonialist discourse and patriarchal authority after having demonstrated their connections with sexist discriminations and oppression.

The objective of this study is to introduce the main features of Brechtian epic theatre and demonstrate how Caryl Churchill deploys these epic elements in Cloud Nine to disclose power relations and instigate tolerance and social change.