The Mother
by Bertolt Brecht
May 1, 2005
at TheaterLoft

    For the forth installment of Subversive Theatre's annual May Day Performance Series, we were thrilled to present a play by Bertolt Brecht, undoubtedly one of the most important political playwrights of all time.
    THE MOTHER is considered to be the first work of Brecht's "Marxist period" and was the last of his plays to be performed in Germany before all his works were banned by Hitler in 1933.
    Brecht crafted THE MOTHER as an adaptation of Maxim Gorky's 1905 novel of the same title.  For our rendition, Director Kurt Schneiderman did plenty of adapting as well blending together two separate translations -- one by Lee Baxandall and the other by Stephen Gooch -- while also shortening some scenes and adding narration.
    THE MOTHER's opening scenes are set on May Day 1905.  Blessed with an excellent cast (complete cast & crew list provided below) and a great audience turnout, it was a real treat to present this play one hundred years to the day after the events in the story took place.

THE CREW Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Kurt Schneiderman* Lights & Sound . . . . . . . . . .  Phil Campanile Graphics . . . . . . . . .  Revolutionary Graphics Organizational Assistance . . Jeanette Rehac* House Management . . . . . . Michael Fanelli* THE CAST in order of appearance Narrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denis Keefe The Mother . . . . . . .  Kathleen Betsko Yale Pavel Vlassov . . . . . . . . . . . .  Jason Trost+ Anton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Tom Scahill* Ivan Vessovchikov . . . . . . .  Jack Hunter*+ Masha Khalatova . . . . . . . .  Katie White*+ Policeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Scime Police Commissioner . . . .  Jamie Hamilton* Gate Keeper . . . . . . . . . . . .  Rich Kraemer Sigorski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G. Anton Moore Tregorian . . . . . . . . Robert "Hodie" Hodas* Tatiana Sigorskaya . . . . . .  Mary Moebius* Yegor Lushin . . . . . . . . . .  David Granville* 1st Strike-Breaker . . . . . .  Jamie Hamilton* 2nd Strike-Breaker . . . . . . . . . Brian Scime The Butcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rich Kraemer The Landlady . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Joy Scime Lydia Federovskaya . . . . . .  Greta Allwein + = members of the Actors' Equity Association * = members of the Subversive Theatre Collective