'Mother Courage' Inaugurates 2005 Theatre Program
class=""MsoNormal"">SALISBURY, MD---During war, big profits are not made by little people.
class=""MsoNormal"">The Bobbi Biron Theatre Program at Salisbury University shares that lesson as part of Bertolt Brecht’s wartime drama Mother Courage, the inaugural mainstage performance in the 2005-06 theatre season.
class=""MsoNormal"">Directed by Robert Smith of SU’s Communication and Theatre Arts Department, performances are Thursday-Sunday, October 13-16 and 20-23 in the Black Box Theatre. Curtain is 8 p.m. October 13-15 and 20-22, 2 p.m. Sundays, October 16 and 23.
class=""MsoNormal"">Set in 1624 during the Thirty Years War, Mother Courage follows the profiteering ways of its title character and her children, Kattrin, Eilif and Swiss Cheese. When Eilif is recruited into the army to fight for the Swedish campaign in Poland, the family’s lives change dramatically.
class=""MsoNormal"">Courage predicts their deaths—Eilif will die for bravery, Swiss Cheese for honesty and Kattrin for kindness—the very virtues they embody. As bedlam erupts with the onslaught of the war, the family must deal with separation and learn how to survive in a desperate time.
class=""MsoNormal"">A pacifist, Brecht wrote the play in 1941 on the eve of World War II.
class=""MsoNormal"">“Using the Thirty Years War as a backdrop for Mother Courage allowed Brecht to draw parallels between the rise of Nazism (Hitler's invasion of Poland, in particular) and to explore the materialistic and often self-serving motives associated with war and conquest,” said Smith. “While the play can certainly be seen in topical terms, the questions it raises are timeless.”
class=""MsoNormal"">Production of the play at SU grew from interest shown by students in Smith’s script analysis class last semester.
class=""MsoNormal"">“It seemed important to do the play now while student interest is high,” he said. “It is a terrific opportunity to move from the conceptual to the applied—from classroom discussion to experiencing the challenges of bringing the ideas to life in a theatrical context. Having an extended time to really examine the construction of the play has been incredibly exciting.” Tickets are $10, $8 for students and seniors. SU students receive one ticket free with ID. For reservations or more information call 410-543-6228 or visit the SU web www.salisbury.edu. "