The exhibition Theatre Work: Brecht on Slovenian Stages offers a concise overview of the profound impact Bertolt Brecht – the great German playwright, poet, prose writer, essayist as well as theoretician, director, and reformer of the theatre – has had on Slovenian theatre. The title of the exhibition is inspired by the celebrated book Theaterarbeit, which documented productions by Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble. Similarly, this exhibition explores Brecht and theatre work, but within the context of the history of Slovenian theatre.
In 1957, Vladimir Kralj first translated the fundamental concept of Brecht’s theatre, Verfremdung, as potujitev (estrangement). In the early productions of Brecht’s works in Slovenia, the estrangement effect posed a major challenge to directors and other theatre practitioners. In terms of stage design, they often addressed this by placing a stage within the stage, creating two separate playing spaces: one in which events were narrated from a distance in the third person, and another in which they were acted out in the first person.
The exhibition was created as part of the broader project Bertolt Brecht – 70 Years Later, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Brecht’s death. It runs from October 6, 2026 to February 10, 2027, when we will commemorate the 129th anniversary of Brecht’s birth.
From our collections – November 2026 poster:
