top of page

​​  Two Giants:

  Stanislavski and Brecht

"Course tutor, Mandy was excellent - informative and inspirational. Made me feel comfortable and gave confidence."



Judith Johnson. March 2011

(Participant on Course at Toynbee Hall, London)

This workshop gives you an opportunity to explore through practice the ideas of both Stanislavski and Brecht.

Discover what Stanislavski meant by the magic 'if', inner active objectives, public solitude and the Late Method of Physical Action.


What does Brecht’s idea of verfremdungseffekt  look and sound like? What is gestus and how do you stage the dialectic?


You will explore the different approaches to create different effects to represent the concerns of these two hugely influential theatre practitioners. We will finish the day by making two scenes using the same subject matter but using the techniques of each practitioner.


The day is suitable for teachers, drama workers, actors, amateur or semi-professional theatre directors and anybody else who would like to extend their skills. It aims to stimulate approaches to directing, devising, acting and exam work  which can then be used in a variety of different practical and theoretical contexts to achieve excellence.

'Mandy McKenna's workshop shines a clear light on the approaches of Stanislavski and Brecht, making them accessible to every participant. She provides a wealth of resources ready to take away and use in the classroom and in rehearsal.'  

David Farmer​​ October 2012  (Course manager www.dramaresource.com)





Mandy McKenna

 Drama Practitioner, Actor and Theatre Director
bottom of page