You’ve Got Guts, I Like That…

For me, this show spoke leaps and bounds about our tendency as human beings to romanticize war. The first scene of the play consists of two recruiters who are trying to convince Mother Courage’s eldest boy Eilif to enlist. “Next thing you know you’ll have a new cap and boots how bout it,” and “You’ve got guts, I like that,” stand as only two lines in a series of flatteries paid to Eilif.

Here at BYU, all students studying dramaturgy are strongly encouraged to create a lobby display for the main stage show they are dramaturging. It is, to an extent, a chance for the dramaturg to show their own comprehension of the show and the director’s concept. For my lobby display, I wanted to focus on this idea of romanticized war. Just as Brecht would point out that even a war as terrible as the 30 Years War can be made to be a “religious war,” or one that is justified, so too can any war today.

In addition to my depiction of the “Recruiter’s Battle Station,” I have also made a video to play at the television beside it.

The video shows us how Joe Schmo can go from ordinary, to extraordinary by a simple choice to become a soldier.

However, my compilation serves as a commentary on how this idea that becoming a solider will fix everything in your life and the lives around you is too simple. War is complicated, and sad, and in many cases changes your life and the lives around you for the worse.

The most commonly quoted line from this play is one that speaks as a reminder of the reality of war. “When war gives you all you earn, one day it make take something in return.” Our goals with this show are not to disrespect or belittle those who have fought for our freedom, or for the freedom of others. It is not some cheap academic opportunity to take snide stabs at the many aspects of war that we do not understand. Just like Brecht, we see this play as an opportunity to ask questions. Is war the only answer? Can we avoid it? And how can we as a nation adopt the answers to these questions.

Come and see the show and my lobby display. It is a wonderful show, full of hard subject matter, and probably different than a lot of theatre you have every seen. What I can promise is an enriching experience, full of new perspectives. See you soon!

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MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN

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by Emme Corbett, dramaturg As a senior student studying history at BYU. One of the first concepts you learn as a history major is that when you study history, it is vital that you do not bring your modern-day biases with you. As strange as some past behaviors or occurrences may be to our modern eyes, understanding the reality of what life was like in historical societies allows for a more authentic and rich study of the past. It also becomes evident fairly quickly that no matter what point in time you’re studying or where you are in the world, there will be commonalities across many cultures. The shared similarity of the human experience allows these connections to occur, so it is no surprise that researching various time periods could be related back to Caesar in Ancient Rome. It was necessary in our dramaturgical research to explore three major time periods that are encompassed within this play in one way or another. These time periods are first, 49 B.C. Rome, when Julius Caesar first became a dictator of Ancient Rome, and the setting for the original script. Second, 1599 England, when William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was first performed, most likely at the Globe Theatre. And third, 1919 Italy, when Italy was recovering from participating in the First World War, and the setting for our performance at BYU. This weakened state created a situation where authoritarianism could ensue. It was an interesting experience to be able to connect the culture of Ancient Rome to that of Italy in the early 20th century. The reason for choosing this production of Julius Caesar to take place in 1919 Italy is not random. The significance of that time period is to draw upon the reality that history repeats itself. An aspect of history that is repeatedly detrimental to countless societies is when a group of people finds itself weak and vulnerable--whether that is due to lack of resources, a change in leadership, exiting a war, or simply evolving generations--and a power vacuum is created. This moment in time when desperation allows for someone to assume leadership (based purely on the need to rely on anybody) and provide temporary relief is often too quickly turned into an authoritarian government. The third time period that we also had to account for in this production was the time of Shakespeare in 1599 England. Some of the questions we had to ask ourselves were: Why Julius Caesar? What elements from the story of Caesar’s assassination did Shakespeare feel would resonate with his audience? From these questions and further research on the Elizabethan period, we discovered that, like in 1919 Italy, there was a concern with the succession to the Crown. Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne at the time and created conflict among the people beyond her just being a woman in power. Queen Elizabeth never married and subsequently never bore any children, thus failing to secure a successor who was in her direct line. Another element of the play that related to Shakespeare’s audience was the role of the plebeians. Their behavior in the play could symbolize how the lower class in the Elizabethan Era, while uneducated and changeable, contribute largely to the success of their society.

You’ve Got Guts, I Like That…

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