Chetana Nagavajara 
 
 
of Die Ausnahme und die Regel was-more than a transfer of experience: 
it contributed towards revivifying a local tradition, and the resultant 
synthesis even confirmed the viability of certain of Brecht's theories 
that might not have been fully explored or realized at the time of their

genesis. For example, Brecht's conception of the Lehrstuck being an 
"unfinished work" was put to the test, whereby "Thai scenes"
depicting 
contemporary Thai life were woven in, alternating with the original. This

proved to be very effective, the original and the newly created scenes 
interacting with each other in a lively manner. The Thai scenes were 
semi-improvised, responding again to one of Brecht's prerequisites for a

Lehrstuck, and the acting on the whole was marked by a bent for 
improvisation, which was in any case a Thai traditional heritage. The 
same could be said about Brecht's ideal concept of the Gro~e 
Padagogik in which there would no longer be a sharp dividing line 
between actors and audience. This was again a familiar feature of the 
Thai traditional theater where audience participation was always 
encouraged, and the "wandering troupe" playing Die Ausnahme und
die 
Regel knew very well how to create such an atmosphere of familiarity 
and conviviality. The cast consisted entirely of amateurs, thereby 
conforming to another of Brecht's prescriptions concerning the "Kleine

Padagogik". At all events, the astounding success of Die Ausnahme 
und die Regel could not be solely ascribed to affinities in terms of 
theatrical conventions or aspirations. It has to be admitted that the 
social and political climate in Thailand at that time was favorable to the

introduction of this Brechtian Lehrstuck. But the "democratic boom"
did 
not last long. When all is said and done, one important point has been 
proved: Brecht was relevant artistically as well as spiritually. 
     The impact of Die Ausnahme und die Regel, which was truly of a 
"popular", not to say, "populist", kind, naturally found
no immediate echo 
during the period following the coup d'etat of October 1976 which 
ushered in an ultra-conservative government that even the military 
could not tolerate for long. A voice like that of Brecht had to be stifled

for obvious reasons. When he emerged again, it was in an academic 
garb. The Department of Drama of Chulalongkorn University was 
experimenting with the staging of Western plays of various periods and 
styles within the framework of a research project entitled "Problems
in 
the Staging of Modern Dramas". "Realistic Drama" was represented
by 
Strindberg, the "Theater of the Absurd" by Albee, and the "Epic
Theater" 
by Brecht. Der gute Mensch von Sezuan was performed in an intimate 
atmosphere of the small theater of the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn 
University, in November-December 1979 and was very much enjoyed by 
the audience. It was a different world from Die Ausnahme und die Regel, 
and considering the social and political climate at that time, this 
interpretation, which probably did not go down well with Brecht scholars

among the Thai germanists, did much to keep Brecht alive, and one has 
to be grateful for that. To the producer, who was also head of the 
Department of Drama, Brecht's relevance was not to be questioned, but 
it was relevance of a different kind from what one usually expects of 
Brecht. In the Programme Notes, the drama professor elaborated her 
skepticism about Brecht's political aim as well as his dramaturgy. She 
 
 
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