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POETIC RITUALITY AND TRANSCULTURALITY
[Gebrauchskunst] for a community of “like-minded people."? Ihe predomi¬
nant purpose of the play as of the “Lehrstiicke” in general is practice. The play
deals with the self-image and self-reflection of the working-class movement
and the communist revolution. Moreover, the singers from workers’ choirs are
themselves also those who participate in the play as well as being the audience
for whom it is intended. Brecht regarded the workers not only as interpreters of
the music but also as students.*° As it is performed in the play, the control choir
sings: “For a long time we no longer listen to you as / judges. Yet/ As learners”
[Lange nicht mehr hören wir euch zu als / Urteilende. Schon/ Als Lernende].*!
Also, the audience should not remain passive but be actively involved in the
performance. For this purpose, the central theses and thoughts spoken by
the characters of the play were projected onto a screen during the premiere.
In addition, Brecht had questionnaires distributed to the spectators in which
he asked about the teaching and learning effect of such an event for both the
participants and the audience. According to Eisler, the entire structure of the
production had the characteristics of a “political meeting.”*’ The boundary
between audience and actor became fluid — as in a ritual, because in rituals
there is no line between participant and observer; everyone has a part to play.
Rituals are joint actions and presentations at the same time and thus enable
their participants to both perceive them and also actively take part in them.
In summary, the play refers to a ritual in many different aspects. First, in
terms of content, the play is closely related to a ritual since the death of the
young comrade is portrayed as self-sacrifice for the communist idea. Second,
the play is structurally comparable to a ritual because the entire course of ac¬
tion follows the structure of self-sacrifice. Third, the play alludes aesthetically
and musically to ritual forms and genres by taking up liturgical ways of speak¬
ing and singing and by quoting and modifying motifs of Bach’s Matthduspas¬
sion. Fourth, the play’s references to Noh theater, Greek theater, the Christian
liturgy, and the incorporation of the new media of that time (projections) lead
to the denial of the creation of an illusion but instead give the audience the
opportunity to become part of the event. As a result, the effect of the staging
of the play is comparable to a ritual, in this way already revealing traits of what
we nowadays call performance art.
Yet, it is precisely these various references to ritual forms and genres that
have led many to understand Die Mafsnahme as political agitation. Thus, the
play is often interpreted as a ritual-like form of communal practice, designed
to persuade the spectators and other participants to sacrifice their individual
wills and even their own lives for the joint cause — the communist revolution.
4 Krabiel: Ibid.
50 Ibid.
5! Brecht: Ibid., Fassung von 1931, in GBA 3, 116.
52. Krabiel: Ibid.