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
1958: The first production in South Africa was by Robert Mohr for the University of Stellenbosch Department of Speech and Drama, presented by Arena '58. The set and costume designer and assistant to the director was Limpie Basson, who was also a member of the large cast which included actors such as Cecile Buurman, Vicki Vosloo and Roelf Laubscher.
1973: 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.
1977: The Ralph Manheim English translation was staged in the Market Theatre by The Company, directed by Barney Simon, with a cast including Alan Swerdlow, Yvonne Bryceland, Vanessa Cooke, Ron Smerczak, Danny Keogh, Victor Melleney, Bill Smale, Wilson Dunster, Nigel Vermaas, John Hussey, Justin Haines, Aletta Bezuidenhout, Marcel van Heerden, Peter Piccolo, Margaret Fry and Beverley Melnick. Designs by Johan Engels (credited as Johann Engels) and lighting by Mannie Manim. The opening night of this play on 20 October 1977 commemorated the first anniversary of the Market Theatre.
2000: 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.
Translated into English by Ralph Manheim [1].
A translation into Dutch by Gerrit Kouwenaar, Moeder Courage en haar kinderen was published by Bezige Bij in 1967.
Translated from the German 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 DALRO in 1973).
Translated into Afrikaans by Saartjie Botha entitled Moeder Moed en Haar Kinders. Presented at the Woordfees 2016 [2].
Adapted into Afrikaans as Kristalvlakte ("Crystal flat" or "crystal plain") by Tertius Kapp and set on the Cape Flats. Performed at the Suidoosterfees in 2016.
Sources
Mother Courage theatre programmes (Arena '58) 1958; (CAPAB) 1973.
Tucker, 1997. 345.
PACOFS Drama 25 Years, 1963-1988.
The Company theatre programme (undated).
Petru & Carel Trichardt theatre programme collection.
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