DIRECTOR’S NOTE
If this weird, wild world has taught us anything in the last year, it’s that everything we thought we knew could be upended in moments. In March 2020, our work as theatremakers came to an abrupt halt as entire industries shuttered in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Almost to the day that UM announced it would be moving to remote learning, we return with humility and tenacity to bring you Mother Courage & Her Children by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Tony Kushner.
The scope and ambition of this play necessitated an equally zealous spectacle, and so we armed ourselves with Germ-X, donned our masks, navigated a six-feet-distance strategy … and returned to the Montana Theatre. This process uncovered a volley of obstacles at each turn, but through months and months of aggressive planning, a nuanced approach to problem-solving, and the unparalleled dedication of the cast, we claimed a hard-fought victory. At long last, we have the opportunity to bring the joy and excitement of live theatre to the comfort of your own living room, so grab a snack, get a drink, make yourselves comfortable, and enjoy the show!
Mother Courage & Her Children is a story about human life and the loss required to live in a modern world. Anna Fierling—the titular Mother Courage—follows armies through a war that changes names, substitutes players, and adjusts its atrocities ... but never ends. However, the motley crew of characters you will meet refuses to lay down and wallow in their problems. These movers, shakers, and money-makers sing, dance, cook, preach, fight, play, and confront the impossible choices before them; Brecht forces us to ask if they made the right ones. While the answer might come easily, we suddenly find ourselves at a crossroads, forced to pick our own poison just like Anna Fierling and those she steps over along the long march to success.
Come hop aboard the wagon and join Mother Courage and her ragtag team in their journey across war torn nations, disease-ravaged communities, and the threshold between the stage and our very real and immediate lives. If off the war you hope to live, take what you can—you’ll also give!
~Shane Lutz, MFA Candidate
SPECIAL THANKS
Tom Berich, Eli Bradley, John DeBoer, Brian Gregoire, Mark Plonsky, Mike Post,
Pam Stiehl ♡, Bernadette Sweeney
