“Mother Courage”-claiming to be uninterested in the politics of war, but rather being only interested in the well- being of her children and herself realizes “War is a continuation of business by other means.”

John Demita, director, said this is a play that challenges the audience by provoking questions in it to the point it might want to act and change its behavior.

“It’s a very provocative play, very theatrical,” Demita said.

The play will be presented at the Campus Theatre starting tomorrow at 8 p.m.

“It’s a play that is a sharp satire and commentary on the ideas of war,” Demita said.

“The profiteering that goes on during the war, the way in which ordinary everyday people survive at the time of war, and the way in which lives are changed because if it.”

Demita said Bertolt Brecht set his play during 30 years of war in Europe, it concerns a woman and her three children and what they went through during the war as they made a living following the armies around, providing goods for them .

The play is often adapted to be done in a contemporary setting.

Demita, however, believes the play would be just as powerful set in its original time period, with the combined impact of extremely powerful storytelling about another situation as well as a strong metaphor about what’s going on in this country today with the war in Iraq.

“Since we are at war right now in this country, having many people with strong divisive feelings about that, it seemed to me it would be a good time to do this play,” Demita said.

Brecht, being a political playwright, believed his audience should have a strong political point of view when viewing his plays.

Demita said this play motivates audiences to ask questions, to have a strong opinion about politics by “alienating the audience.”

“His theory about theater and the way in which he would tell the stories was to hold the audience at a bit of distance,” Demita said. “You’re reminded that you’re in a theater.”

Christopher Roque, theater major, said the goal for this play is making the audience think; to just have somebody at the end of it be different than when they came in.

Brandon Boggus, business major, says it’s not one of those plays where you might get bored; there is always something going on. There’s a little bit of everything: drama, comedy and a little action as well.

“If a student has never seen a show of this type, it’s very important that they expose themselves to this kind of theater which is political-minded, just because you don’t want to believe that the theater should only be an extension of entertainment,” Demita said.