Impossible to ignore _{by Madelaine Empson}

Maven Theatre Company is bringing Lee Hall’s adaptation of Mother Courage and Her Children to Te Raukura ki Kāpiti from the 2^nd to the 10^th of October. Bertolt Brecht’s iconic anti-war play explores the price of survival in times of conflict, following the determined Mother Courage (Lindsey Rusling) through war as she does whatever she can to keep her family alive.

Mother Courage and her Children may be filled with moments of heartbreaking humanity, but it is far from a sombre night at the theatre. Simmering with humour, music, and theatrical energy, it is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Ultimately, the 1939 play is unsettlingly topical today.

“The core critiques of the destructive nature of war and the systems that sustain it still feel relevant”, director Sera Devcich says.

Brecht (The Threepenny Opera) was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet who refined, popularised, and defined verfremdungseffekt (the alienation effect). Brechtian techniques break the fourth wall to remind audiences they are watching a play and thereby attempt to prevent them from emotionally investing in it. The result, Brecht theorised, is that they are more receptive to the political messages therein.

Sera says Hall’s adaptation leans into the script’s satire and strips away academic stiffness. The company has given it a heavy-handed dose of verfremdungseffekt, but hopefully in a way that is digestible for a modern audience.

“Theatre should be for everybody, and Mother Courage is no exception, so I’m making it for everybody.”

Unlike Brecht, whose goal was for audiences to respond exactly as intended, Sera isn’t interested in trying to control or predict how people might feel about Mother Courage and Her Children.

“I just try to make sure the show is as good as possible with the resources I have, that the story is told, and that they feel welcomed into the space. There’s no right or wrong way for them to feel or respond after that.”