MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN

Wartime profiteering rarely sounded so good

— Mark Fisher, The Guardian

Timeless and placeless. Almost impossible to believe this is the company’s first outing

— Tracey Sinclair, The Stage

A wondrous feat of theatrical alchemy

— Allan Radcliffe, The Times

A performance of stunning accomplishment, full of conviction and utterly compelling

— David Whetstone, Cultured. North East

A fierce, urgent retelling of Bertolt Brecht’s classic anti-war play, translated by Lee Hall, directed by Mark Dornford-May and created in collaboration with our sister company, South Africa’s internationally acclaimed Isango Ensemble.

Debuted at Horden Methodist Church in May 2025, followed by a second run of performances in October 2025 at the iconic Live Theatre, Newcastle.

Keith Irons, Ayanda Tikolo - Credit: Keith Pattison

Keith Irons, Ayanda Tikolo - Credit: Keith Pattison

Keith Irons, Noluthando Boqwana-Page, Paulina Malefane, Joseph Hammal, the Ensemble - Credit: Keith Pattison

Keith Irons, Noluthando Boqwana-Page, Paulina Malefane, Joseph Hammal, the Ensemble - Credit: Keith Pattison

Thandolwethu Mzembe, Willow Pearson, Phil Swinburne, Brodie Daniel, Zoleka Mpotsha - Credit: Keith Pattison

Thandolwethu Mzembe, Willow Pearson, Phil Swinburne, Brodie Daniel, Zoleka Mpotsha - Credit: Keith Pattison

Noluthando Boqwana-Page - Credit: Keith Pattison

Noluthando Boqwana-Page - Credit: Keith Pattison

Thandolwethu Mzembe, Keith Irons - Credit: Keith Pattison

Thandolwethu Mzembe, Keith Irons - Credit: Keith Pattison

Thandolwethu Mzembe - Credit: Keith Pattison

Thandolwethu Mzembe - Credit: Keith Pattison

Zoleka Mpotsha, Joseph Hammal, Ayanda Tikolo - Credit: Keith Pattison

Zoleka Mpotsha, Joseph Hammal, Ayanda Tikolo - Credit: Keith Pattison

Stephen Lister, Wendy Hindmarch, Bryn Chaytor-Wilson - Credit: Keith Pattison

Stephen Lister, Wendy Hindmarch, Bryn Chaytor-Wilson - Credit: Keith Pattison

Julie Ainslie, Phil Swinburne, Bryn Chaytor-Wilson - Credit: Keith Pattison

Julie Ainslie, Phil Swinburne, Bryn Chaytor-Wilson - Credit: Keith Pattison

Noluthando Boqwana-Page, Paulina Malefane, Thandolwethu Mzembe, Mo Aleyasin - Credit: Keith Pattison

Noluthando Boqwana-Page, Paulina Malefane, Thandolwethu Mzembe, Mo Aleyasin - Credit: Keith Pattison

Ayanda Tikolo, Paulina Malefane, Joseph Hammal, Stephen Lister, the Ensemble - Credit: Keith Pattison

Ayanda Tikolo, Paulina Malefane, Joseph Hammal, Stephen Lister, the Ensemble - Credit: Keith Pattison

Brodie Daniel, Mo Aleyasin, Willow Pearson, Wendy Hindmarch, Thandolwethu Mzembe, Ayanda Tikolo, Sophie Moss, Bryn Chaytor-Wilson, Joseph Hammal, Keith Irons - Credit: Keith Pattison

Brodie Daniel, Mo Aleyasin, Willow Pearson, Wendy Hindmarch, Thandolwethu Mzembe, Ayanda Tikolo, Sophie Moss, Bryn Chaytor-Wilson, Joseph Hammal, Keith Irons - Credit: Keith Pattison

Julie Ainslie, Joseph Hammal, Noluthando Boqwana-Page, Phil Swinburne, Zoleka Mpotsha, Mia Cummings, Stephen Lister - Credit: Keith Pattison

Julie Ainslie, Joseph Hammal, Noluthando Boqwana-Page, Phil Swinburne, Zoleka Mpotsha, Mia Cummings, Stephen Lister - Credit: Keith Pattison

Noluthando Boqwana-Page - Credit: Keith Pattison

Noluthando Boqwana-Page - Credit: Keith Pattison

Zoleka Mpotsha, Wendy Hindmarch, Paulina Malefane, Mo Aleyasin, Julie Ainslie, Phil Swinburne, Keith Irons - Credit: Keith Pattison

Zoleka Mpotsha, Wendy Hindmarch, Paulina Malefane, Mo Aleyasin, Julie Ainslie, Phil Swinburne, Keith Irons - Credit: Keith Pattison

A play that will resonate with today’s audience… such a joy to see new, raw, North East talent at its best

— Anna Ambelez, British Theatre Guide

A really engaging performance that keeps up a lively pace... entertaining and inspiringly provocative too

— Stephen Oliver, North East Theatre Guide

An exuberant, lively, vital production, featuring a wealth of local talent

— Winifred Wynn, The Reviews Hub

This adaption tells the original story impeccably… bridging cultures and histories together in a triumphant defiance of war

— Kai Palmer, NARC. Magazine

Survival, sacrifice and the devastating cost of conflict.

Ensemble ‘84's first production brings Lee Hall's (Billy Elliot, Rocketman) electrifying adaptation/translation of Bertolt Brecht's 1939 play, Mother Courage and Her Children to Horden, County Durham and Live Theatre, Newcastle. This is theatre at its most urgent and alive a gripping story of survival, sacrifice, and the cost of war, infused with rhythm, song, and fierce theatricality

Against the relentless backdrop of the Thirty Years' War, Anna Fierling, better known as Mother Courage, fights to keep her business and family intact. Dragging her canteen wagon from battlefield to battlefield, she profits from war while doing everything in her power to protect her three children from its destruction. But as the conflict rages on, she is forced to navigate impossible choices, where survival comes at an unforgiving price.

Bringing fresh urgency to this tale of resilience and moral compromise, this bold new production unites Lee Hall's sharp adaptation with the soaring presence of South Africa's globally celebrated Isango Ensemble, led by Paulina Malefane, and the collective power of Ensemble ‘84's North East voices. With music by Mandisi Dyantyis, directed by Mark Dornford-May and performed in the immersive setting of a former Methodist Church and the iconic Live Theatre, Brecht's vision is presented as a visceral, music-driven experience that speaks fiercely to the world today. Local and global stories collide, bridging histories and cultures through a shared language of struggle, endurance, and song.

Creative Team

Writer – Bertolt Brecht

Writer (Translation) – Lee Hall

Music – Mandisi Dyantyis

Director – Mark Dornford-May

Choreographer - Lungelo Ngamlana

Production Managers – Kevin Brown and Sandile Mgugunyeka

Lighting Designer – Drummond Orr

Design - The Ensemble, Janet Brown and Eve Booth

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