Mother Courage

Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage is an unflinching look at the horrors of war. No stranger to a challenge, director Dale Gutzman attempts to fit the intensity of this drama into one of Milwaukee's most intimate theater stages. Yes, there's a set, a lighting scheme, costuming and makeup, but in a space as small as Off the Wall's studio, all you really see is the drama written into the faces of the ensemble. In a space that size, the intensity of war feels visceral and apocalyptic. Marilyn White plays Mother Courage as perpetually exhausted, ready to lash out in defense at any moment, while David Flores provides another standout performance as a reluctant chaplain.