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John Yorke takes a look at Mother Courage and her Children, Bertolt Brecht鈥檚 play written in 1939 on the eve of World War Two.

Set in an earlier time when the Thirty Years War was raging across Europe, Mother Courage and her Children deals with some of the great themes of conflict and capitalism, looking at the way that one mother tries to survive with her family intact. Brecht grew up in Germany in the years after the First World War when the country was struggling with inflation running out of control. This difficult situation informed Brecht鈥檚 political views, and he supported the Communist ideals, although never actually joined the Communist Party.

His work reflects his concerns about the nature of capitalism and war. Mother Courage focusses on a woman who wants to make a living selling goods to anyone who will buy them, regardless of allegiance. She has three children, and the play shows how one-by-one she loses each of her them to war. We see how her decisions contribute to her deaths of her children.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for nearly 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised on 麻豆社 Radio 4. From EastEnders to the Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of 麻豆社 Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world鈥檚 most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful 麻豆社 Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone.

Contributors:
Professor Laura Bradley Dean of Postgraduate Research, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Personal Chair of German and Theatre, University of Edinburgh
Mark Ravenhill, Playwright
Julie Hesmondhalgh, Actor

Credits:
Helene Weigel in "Brecht on Stage", (麻豆社 / Open University, 1989)

Producer: Mark Rickards
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for 麻豆社 Radio 4