This study focuses on The Mother, Bertolt Brecht's most overtly political play and the only play which he staged in the Weimar Republic. Through detailed analysis of archival material, Bradley explores how Brecht's theatre practice developed and how it has subsequently been received and challenged by other directors, in and beyond Germany. This meticulously researched account of the staging and reception of Brecht's Die Mutter covering a period of seven decades is the first monograph on the play in any language...a densely argued and rewarding survey.