Watch Sky Arts at Mother Courage >>

Sky Arts takes you into the rehearsal rooms of the National Theatre as Deborah Warner directs the cast of Mother Courage and Her Children. Fiona Shaw takes the title role in this adaptation of Brecht’s famous play.

Written in 1939, it tells the story of Mother Courage as she and her family travel the battlefields of 17th Century Europe, profiteering from the seemingly endless misery of war.

There’s a new score for this production, composed by the Irish song writer Duke Special. It's the first time the talented musician has written music for theatre, he even appears in the production too, as the director strives to produce something akin to a rock concert on stage. 

The play also marks the professional stage debut of Harry Melling, a young actor who has appeared alongside Fiona Shaw in the Harry Potter series.