Theater of War May 29, 2009

"Inspired and inspiring."—Manohla Dargis, New York Times

In the summer of 2006, Meryl Streep took a break from making movies and took on the role of a lifetime: the lead in Mother Courage and Her Children, Bertolt Brecht's classic antiwar play, as adapted by Tony Kushner. And for the first time she allowed a camera crew to document her rehearsal process. This rare, intimate look at the methods of one of the greatest actresses of our time examines the political, artistic, and biographical circumstances that caused Brecht to write the play. The film also reveals the details of mounting a play and, since this is a recent staging, the way the play's themes are currently (and eternally) relevant. Director John Walter's previous film, How to Draw a Bunny, an enigmatic documentary portrait of artist Ray Johnson, screened at the Wexner Center in 2004. (95 mins., video)

Official Website: http://www.wexarts.org/fv/index.php?eventid=3897