epic theater

(German: Das epische Theater) A form of theater created by Bertolt Brecht and opposed to the Aristotelian form, also known as the "dramatical form" (Brecht's term).

Brecht compared the dramatical form with his own epic form through a now fairly well-known list of features (shortened list shown below).

Whereas the dramatical form had the characteristics of:

• placing importance on the action;
• attempting to pull viewers into the stage-world;
• attempting to use and stir their energies;
• being personal and suggestive;
• presenting mankind as a stereotype, unchangeable, static; and
• having a closed, connected, linear form with the climax at the end;

the epic form was characterized by:

• placing importance on the narration;
• leaving the viewers outside as observers;
• attempting to wake their energies and actions;
• being universal and argumentative;
• presenting mankind as an experiment, as changeable and changing, as process; and
• having an open, jumping, complex form with tension placed on what will come next (there's always something new).

Also important and characteristic of epic theater are "Verfremdung" and "Lehrstücke", meaning "alienation" and "teaching-pieces" respectively, though both German terms are commonly used in literary circles.

Note: all translations my own