The Exception and the Rule by Bertolt Brecht

German playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote The Exception and the Rule in 1930. It has been dubbed by scholars “the best-known and most performed Lehrstucke (didactic play) of Brecht today.”ⁱ Brecht intended his “didactic plays” to show “the world as it changes (and also how it must be changed)”ⁱⁱ; he wanted audiences to think about politics and society, and ultimately look toward revolution against the capitalist system.

This recording, from a 1965 performance, documents the play’s first American production. The music was written by Stefan Wolpe, a composer who, like Brecht, was born in Germany around 1900 and came to America in the late 1930s. The play was translated into English by Eric Bentley, who also serves as the play’s narrator. Liner notes include cast bios, photographs. and a play synopsis.

ⁱ[Bertolt Brecht's The Exception and the Rule. It Doesn't Say What It Says It Says] (page 1)
ⁱⁱ[Bertolt Brecht: Political Theory and Literary Practice] (page 1)

Track Listing

101	Prologue / One: The Race through the Desert / Two: The End of a Much-Travelled Road	Isaiah Sheffer	05:34
102	Three: The Dismissal of the Guide at Station Han	Isaiah Sheffer	07:49
103	Four: A Conversation in Dangerous Territory	Isaiah Sheffer	04:26
104	Five: At the Rushing River	Isaiah Sheffer	05:40
201	Six: The Bivouac	Isaiah Sheffer	05:02
202	Seven: The End of All Roads / The Shared Water / The Exception and the Rule	Isaiah Sheffer	04:57
203	Eight: The Song of the Tribunals	Isaiah Sheffer	01:33
204	The Tribunal / Epilogue	Isaiah Sheffer	16:30