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The Mother (tr. Willett)

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 15m

Bertolt Brecht, John Willett

The Mother
by Bertolt Brecht
Translated by John Wilett

A poetic examination of the morality of communism and the fall of capitalism in 20th century Russia, based on Maxim Gorsky’s novel by the same name.

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The Mother (tr. Willett)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 15m
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
Palagea Vlassova is drawn by her son Pavel into the revolutionary movement. Though hostile to it at first, she refuses to let him distribute leaflets, preferring to run the risk herself. She takes part in a peaceful demonstration, where Pavel is arrested; she learns to read, helps striking peasants, and works an illegal press. Pavel escapes from Siberia, but is caught and shot. Palagea is beaten for protesting against the 1914 war and finishes by carrying the red flag in a huge anti-war demonstration in the winter of 1916. 
Pelagea Vlasova
Pavel Vlasov
Anton
Andrei
Ivan
Mascha
Policeman
Commissioner
Factory porter
Smilgin
Karpov
Nikolai Vesovchikov 
Sigorski
Prison Warden
Lushin
Butcher
Vasil Yefimovitch
Butcher's Wife
Workers, neighbours, strikebreakers, women
  • Time Period 1910s / WWI

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), playwright, poet and director, was born in Augsburg, Germany in February 1898. He established himself as a playwright during the 1920s and early 1930s with plays such as Baal, Man is Man, The Threepenny Opera and The Mother. In 1933, as Hitler came ...
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Author

John Willett

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