M(other) Courage Revives Brecht in Germany
M(other) Courage, directed by Marta Górnicka, is one of the most important theatrical productions of 2015, according to Nachtkritik.de. The German theatre portal has listed it among 47 significant performances of last year.
The rationale for the choice is:
M(other) Courage gives you a picture of how much more you can get out of Brecht. The young Polish director Marta Górnicka conducts a choral show, based on the old classic by Brecht. She creates a monstrous choir, which helps us cope with our contemporaneity.
Between 20 and 27 January 2016, readers of Nachtkritik.de can vote on one of the 47 nominated productions. The ten plays that receive the most votes will be featured in the virtual festival Nachtkritik-Theatertreffen 2016.
M(other) Courage premiered on 25th September 2015 in Staatstheater Braunschweig. The 23-member choir, created by Marta Górnicka, gives a voice to those who are typically deprived of theirs: mothers, immigrants and children. At the same time, it is the voice of the generation of conflict in Germany and Europe.
The libretto, written by Górnicka, is a mix of Bertold Brecht’s screenplay along with military marches, newspaper clippings, and quotations from Elfriede Jelinek, Heiner Müller and the Bible. It also uses sociological texts, nursery rhymes, Schubert’s songs and national classics. All this to speak up for the underprivileged. The production is part of a triptych inaugurated by Mother Courage Won’t Remain Silent: A Chorus for Wartime. The performance, which premiered on 13th December 2014 at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, featured a 60-strong choir of Jewish and Arab mothers and children, as well as Israeli soldier-dancers. The show inaugurated the promotion of Polish theatre abroad and coincided with the celebration of the 250th anniversary of public theatre in Poland.
Sources: nachtkritik.de, martagornicka.com, press materials, edited by AL, translated by OK, 26 Jan 2016
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