The Chalk Circle

During a violent insurrection, a young servant, Grusha, reluctantly rescues a baby abandoned by his mother, the preening wife of the Governor. Pursued through the mountains in a quest to escape the war, Grusha comes to love the boy and sets aside her own hopes to protect the child. After the war the Governor’s wife challenges Grusha for the child’s guardianship, which comes to an unexpected end before Azdak, a most unusual judge. The resolution makes for one of the most poignant conclusions in modern drama. Bertolt Brecht’s The Chalk Circle is presented in English translation by Eric Bentley.