Understanding einverstandnis: Ideology in Brecht's der jasager and der neinsager

This essay examines Bertolt Brecht's Der Jasager (He Who Says Yes) and Der Neinsager (He Who Says No), a trio of Lehrstucke (teaching pieces) based on the fifteenth-century Japanese N play Taniko, which were written and performed between 1930 and 1931. Despite the fact that these plays were written for and influenced by children, it is clear that the lens through which scholars view these plays is not one specific to children's theatre. I offer here a process-oriented reading and view these plays as an example of children's theatre that served to empower students.