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Costa Rican artists will present "Mother Courage" at the National Theatre

Róger Solórzano Canales | Oct 4, 2012

A scene from "Mother Courage". Photo courtesy of National Theatre Company of Costa Rica.

Bertolt Brecht representative work will be performed by the National Theatre Company of Costa Rica.

It’s been 17 years since the last time the National Theatre Company of Costa Rica was presented at the Rubén Darío National Theatre, in Managua, Nicaragua. That temporary parenthesis ends this Sunday, Oct. 7th with the staging of the play "Mother Courage" (presented in Spanish), Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) most famous work, which will be presented at the Main Hall at 6:00 pm. With prices of C$150, C$100 to C$80.

"I will not speak evil of war / say it destroys the weak / burst but those also in peace," says in her speeches the main character, a mature woman who drags her cart of goods with her three children, leaving behind of armies battling in seventeenth century Europe. The work, anti-war, has been interpreted by different companies in different settings worldwide, after its original release in 1941.

Gladys Alzate, director of the Costa Rican company, said today at a press conference that the Nicaraguan public will appreciate a staging in which 16 actors from different generations, some with more than 30 years of career and others very young, will perform the piece on a set that combines classic and contemporary media, and instrumental musicians who will perform the original music of the work of the German composer Paul Dessau (1898-1979).

The work was performed in Costa Rica last year for two successful seasons, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company. Three of the actresses got national awards for his performance. "War is a business, and we are all victims," Alzate said, noting they decided to choose this work for his current post and for being an iconic piece of theater, created by one of the most important authors of the twentieth century.

Theatrical approach between countries

This staging is the result of a meeting of directors of national theaters in Central America, that took place in Costa Rica on August of this year, explained Ramon Rodriguez, director of the National Theatre. The desire to improve communication, cultural exchanges and to leave a door open for joint work between theaters of the region was the result of the encounter.

The National Theatre team visited Gladys Alzate, and encouraged by the strong theatrical work of the company, were invited to perform in Managua as part of the ongoing effort of National Theatre ‘Rubén Darío’ managers to strengthen the discipline of theater in the country, to perform a better works to the public and to improve the quality of the artistic community. "For the actors, to see a show is like attending a workshop," said Salvador Espinoza, Artistic Director of the National Theatre.

Salvador Espinoza, Ramon Rodriguez y Gladys Alzate at the press conference.

Translated by Cynthia Cordero