What are some theatrical techniques that are unique to Brecht that he uses in Mother Courage and her Children?

What Brecht uniquely offered to drama was his
incorporation of what he called alienation effects into his work. Brecht used
these to try and distance the audience from certain aspects of the action of the play so
that the audience's emotional involvement with the characters portrayed in the drama is
limited. Brecht believed that this would enable the audience to focus more on the
meaning of the action and the critique of society that the play offered.
 

Examples of this in the play include the summary of
events that is given at the beginning of each scene so that the audience can concentrate
on the meaning of the action rather than be surprised by what occurs. In addition,
consider how distancing is achieved through the way in which the play does not present
any scene that could induce an emotional response with the audience. The execution of
the Swiss Cheese is a perfect example of this, as the execution is not portrayed
onstage, and none of the emotional impact is explored afterwards. This helps the
audience focus more on Brecht's theme of the terrors of war. Lastly, consider the
various songs that highlight the various themes of the play whilst also challenging the
reality of the action through the interruptions that they offer. Consider the following
example from Scene Nine when Mother Courage is talking about
Solomon:

How
great and wise was Solomon!

The world however didn't
wait

But soon observed what followed
on.

It's wisdom that had brought him to this
state--

How fortunate the man with
none!

This song satirically
presents the dangers of cultivating such "good" qualities as wisdom, as the story of
King Solomon suggests. Brecht uses a variety of strategies therefore in order to
distance the audience from the action so that they can focus more on the message he
presents.