The most dominating theme, as well as the most prominent historical context, of Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, is the devastating loss from war and human atrocity. When he wrote this play, Brecht used the Thirty Years War as an allegory to reveal the tragic effects of World War II on wartime Europe. For my production of Mother Courage, I will use this same model of historical allusion to relate the current American wars in Iraq and the Middle East with the original subject of this play: World War II. The modern American occupation of the Middle East often feels never-ending. This endlessness mirrors Courage’s journey through the Thirty Years War, a war literally defined by its excessive length, seems eternal. Just as in Courage’s wartime, many people, including Courage herself, and the United States as a whole, have so much to gain while at the same time so much to lose. In the modern wars, some people are incredibly privileged, while others suffer greatly. And in the modern wars, as it is in the Thirty Years War of the play, there is extreme ambiguity and shades of grey. These wars in the Middle East are contentious, and there often seems that no move is the right move. In relating modern and historical wars threefold (wars in the Middle East, World War II, and the Thirty Years War) from three centuries and spanning 400 years, this production of Mother Courage and Her Children will point to the cyclical nature of war.

For this production, it is important that we maintain the vision and style of Brecht’s original work. Many past famous productions, such as George C. Wolfe’s 2006 production and The National Theatre’s 2009 revival tired too hard to make Brecht accessible to modern audiences that they lost the essence of Brecht’s work. While accessibility is important, it is useless if the quest to make the play accessible loses what in fact is trying to be accessed – Brecht’s brilliant dramaturgy. Throughout this production it will be important to preserve the verfremdungseffekt of the play. Additionally, in the spirit of keeping Brecht Brechtian, this production should remain political. Brecht’s theatre was meant to be intellectual, allowing for the critical engagement instead of emotional involvement of the audience. This production should reveal social and political truths about modern day. In this way, the emphasis on modern wartime fits perfectly with Brecht’s political style.

In addition to highlighting the current political war climate in the United States, this production will also, more specifically, focus on the role of women in war. Courage is a mother and a merchant, but first and foremost she is a woman. While many productions of this play emphasis the former two identities and their opposition, my production with be centered around Courage’s womanhood. Throughout American history, women have played crucial and varied roles in war and wartime. During the early wars, women were saviors as nurses. In World War II, women were called upon to enter the workforce and work for the war effort. Now, women are integral active and ranking members of our armed forces. Throughout all of American history, women have been mothers and wives, touched by the war through the loss of a loved one. Additionally, throughout history, women have time and again been portrayed as victims of the war, when textbooks and newscasters report: “10 civilians, including women and children”, underscoring the helpless victimhood of these adult women by comparing them to children. Courage is all of these women. She is a worker, a provider, a mother, a victim. She is everywoman, regardless of race, class, age. Courage represents aspects of every woman in American history to have been touched, defined, or destroyed by the wars of the nation.

In the past half-century, we have seen incredible strides towards gender equality, and these victories are present in the military community as well. Even in the midst of this success, it is important to look back at where we started, and acknowledge and celebrate the work done by women throughout history. Additionally, even though progress has been and continues to be made in terms of equality within the military, there are still gender-based issues within that community. One main, very prevalent issue being discussed these days in sexual assault within the military. In a time of war, as this country has been in for many years, and in light of the advancements of women within and without the military, this production of this play is extremely relevant. As we come up on the 75^th anniversary of the beginning of World War II, it is important for us to look back and commemorate the role of women in wars throughout our history.

This production of Mother Courage and Her Children will be set during World War II. The set, props, music, and ensemble costumes will reflect this era’s styles and trends. However, while the world around her is planted firmly in the 1940s in the United States, Courage’s character and physical appearance will represent all women, and their contributions to all prominent wars in American history.

Courage’s representation of women throughout American war history will manifest primarily in her costume. Her costume will be an amalgamation of styles from women in wartimes. Moving chronologically, Courage will be wearing a Red Cross band around her arm in specific reference to Clara Barton and all of the women who worked as nurses throughout the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. She will be wearing a red bandana with white polka dots as a suggestion of the iconic Rosie the Riveter poster, as well as the actual riveter women and all women who stepped into the workforce in order to serve the war effort. As a reference to the female protesters of the Vietnam and other political acts of violence, Courage will wear a raggedy old t-shirt with the design of a protest sign, such as the phrase “make art, not war”. As a representation of a mother and wife throughout the second half of the 1900s, Courage will wear a strand of pearls, reminiscent of a 1950s housewife’s. Finally, Courage will be wearing modern day Army-style camouflage pants, as an allusion to the women who formally contribute to the war effort in combat and in other positions within the armed forces. In contrast to Courage’s anachronistic collage of a costume, the rest of the characters will be dressed true to the time period, in American World War II military and civilian styles.

In keeping with the period, all of the other design aspects will be based in the 1940s. Because live music proved so successful in previous productions of Mother Courage, we will have live music in our show. The music, composed to fit Brecht’s lyrics for Courage’s songs, will be done in the style of wartime swing and big band music. The setting captions are an integral part of the storytelling of this piece, and were displayed on canvases above the play space. In order to maintain Brechtian integrity within the storytelling, we will also have setting captions displayed above the stage. These captions will be written in typeface and modeled after telegraphs of the 1940s, particularly reminiscent of telegraphs informing loved ones (wives and women) of deaths and casualties of the war. Along these same lines of presenting the tragedy of World War II, and all war, by time-appropriate means, Courage will display yellow ribbons for the war-afflicted losses of her children. Every time one of her children dies, Courage will silently tie a yellow ribbon onto her cart in order to display the personal impact of these casualties of war. By then end of the production, Courage should have three yellow ribbons tied to her cart instead of her three children by her side as she carries steadily on. Finally, this production will be set on a turntable stage in order to underscore the cyclical nature of war. The final iconic image of courage pushing forward with her cart as she sings will be done as it has been done before, with her walking in an eternal circle.

In order to exemplify the passage of time and explicitly integrate the current war climate of the wars in the Middle East, projections will be incorporated into the final moments of the show, Courage’s fateful and unending walk onward. As Courage begins to walk, provocative images of modern conflicts with slowly whirl around Courage, much like in the final scene of Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop. This storm will begin with an image of the Twin Towers crumbling on 9-11. Other images such as a political map of United States occupation in the Middle East and a newspaper headline announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden will accumulate, slowly encircling and mirroring Courage’s walk as the lights fade to darkness. These projections will serve to support the themes of the cyclical and never-ending nature of war throughout human and American history as they surround and take over the lives of all citizens, but particularly of the women who work to both sustain and fight them.

For my production of Brecht’s quintessential Mother Courage and Her Children, I will emphasize the cyclical nature of war throughout history by highlighting the relationship between The Thirty Years War, World War II, and the American involvement in the modern conflicts in the Middle East. This production will be set in World War II-Era America, with the set, the music, and most of the costumes designed in this fashion. I will place particular emphasis on the role of women within these and all prominent wars in American history by emphasizing Courage’s female identity. Instead of dressing Courage in period clothing, we will design Courage’s costume as a collage of iconic women’s clothing throughout American war history. Her costume will be made up of elements representing women working in and/or affected by war from all wartimes in American history. For example, there will be elements of her costume that point to the roles of nurses, wives, mothers, workers, and military officers. Additionally, I will remain true to Brecht’s vision of political and intellectually criticizing theatre. This is key. This show cannot succeed unless we retain the integrity of Brecht’s style and intention. Because this play is being produced in the US, I think it would be interesting to explore the role of American women, though I have no intention of discounting the lives and legacies of other women affected by WWII, and especially the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For this production, I will be bringing Brecht’s epochal wartime play into the present day social and political atmosphere, while remaining true to the timeless themes and goals of the original production.