Mother Courage

Mother Courage and her Children by Bertolt Brecht. The English version of Brecht's cynical but enthralling anti-war play Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder which was first presented in Zürich in 1946.

Performance history in South Africa

The first production in South Africa was by Robert Mohr in 195*. ***

Presented by CAPAB English Drama in the Nico Malan Theatre, opening Saturday 6 October 1973. Directed by Michael Meacham assisted by John Burch. Musical director and arranger Christopher Fifield, setting and costumes by Penny Simpson, lighting designed by John Baker. Stage director Brian Kennedy, stage manager Lorraine Bellamy. The cast: Babs Laker (Mother Courage}, Liz Dick (Kattrin, her dumb daughter), Nicholas Ellenbogen (Eilif, her son), Stephen Gurney (Swiss Cheese, her younger son), Johan Malherbe (The Cook), James Irwin (The Chaplain), Liz Staughton (Yvette Pottier), Keith Grenville (Swedish Commander). Other parts were played by Dugald Thomson, David Crichton, John Walton, Elliot Playfair, Mollie Thompson, Michael Swinton, Alan Prior, Glynn Day, David Sherwood.

The opening night of this play on 20 October 1977 commemorated the first anniversary of the Market Theatre.

A National Theatre Guild of Uganda production was presented at the National Arts Festival in 2000.

Translations and adaptations

Eric Bentley's translation into English was published in Seven plays by Bertolt Brecht. New York: Grove, c1961.

A translation into Dutch by Gerrit Kouwenaar, Moeder Courage en haar kinderen was published by Bezige Bij in 1967.

Translated into Afrikaans by Fred Steyn as Moeder Courage and first performed by PACOFS in 1973 with Anna Neethling-Pohl in the lead role and Jan Bruijns, directed by Truida Louw. It was to become one of her stock performances. (Published by ** in 19**).

Sources

Mother Courage theatre programme (CAPAB) 1973.

PACOFS Drama 25 Years, 1963-1988.

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