Brecht's play follows Anna Fierling and her family during the Thirty Years War in Eastern Europe. The Thirty Years War took place from 1618 -1648, although the play begins in 1624 and ends in 1636. Anna and her three children, Swiss Cheese, Eilif and Kattrin, caravan through the country in a wagon that has also become their home. She survives by dealing, stealing and selling her finds in efforts to support her family. Anna earns the name "Mother Courage" when she runs through a bombardment in Riga, the capital of Latvia, in order to sell her loaves of bread.

Mother Courage and Her Children is a prime example of Brecht's style of writing, which incorporates elements of Epic Theatre. He wants audience members to disregard their emotional connection to the play's characters. Brecht believed that theatre should appeal to the spectator's reason: to provoke social change through the medium of playwrighting and presenting plays. Songs are included in Mother Courage and Her Children reemphasizing one of the plays most important themes: survival. Mother Courage and Her Children was written during the late 1930s. At that time, Brecht was living in exile, having fled his birthplace of Germany not wanting to face the regime of the fascist government. Mother Courage and Her Children was first produced in Switzerland in 1939 but did not premiere in Germany until 1949.

Directed by Dr. Blair Anderson, chair of the Wayne State University Department of Theatre, the cast includes: Carly Germany (Anna Fierling), Jennifer McConnell (Kattrin), Chris Roady (Eilif), Bernard Kofi Andoh (Swiss Cheese), Andrew Huff (Cook), Aaron T. Moore (Chaplin) and Lisa Betz (Yvette Potter). Designers for Mother Courage and Her Children are Kathryn A. Botsford (scenery), Jeremy McDaniel (lighting), April Stewart (costumes) and Jeffrey K. Lovett (sound).

Mother Courage and Her Children opens on Friday, November 19, 2004 and plays through Saturday, January 29, 2005 in rotating repertory with Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward, The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

Ticket prices range from $13-$22, with student rush tickets available the day of the performance for $10. Group discounts are also available. For tickets and further information, please call (313) 577-2972 or visit the Wayne State University Theatre box office at 4743 Cass Ave. on the corner of Cass and W. Hancock. Performance information may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.theatre.wayne.edu.

Season sponsored by Between the Lines, Dearborn Times-Herald and the MetroTimes.