Brecht and the political theatre: The mother on stage

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This production history of The Mother offers significant insights into Bertolt Brecht's theatre, his influence on political theatre, and the interplay between text, performance, and cultural context. As the only play Brecht staged in the Weimar Republic, during his exile, and in the GDR, it allows for a unique comparison of his theatrical practices across different settings and career stages. Through detailed archival analysis, Bradley reveals Brecht's growing sensitivity to his audience's political views and cultural expectations, leading to major tactical concessions in his 1951 Berliner Ensemble production. These compromises suggest that his "mature" staging was not definitive but tailored to a specific situation. The Mother has resonated with politically engaged theatre practitioners both in Germany and beyond. By leveraging the text's generic hybridity and the dynamics between Brecht's "epic" and "dramatic" elements, directors have interpreted it in diverse ways. While Brecht's 1951 production became an affirmative GDR heritage piece, post-Brechtian directors have employed The Mother to express their own political and theatrical concerns, ranging from anti-authoritarian themes to reflections on state Socialism's legacies. Their ideological and theatrical subversion has ensured that Brecht's text remains relevant beyond the political system it initially supported.