A major dramatist of the twentieth century, Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
was the founder of one of the most influential theatre companies, the
Berliner Ensemble, and the creator of some of the landmark plays of the
twentieth century: The Threepenny Opera, Life of Galileo, Mother Courage and Her Children and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. His plays and dramatic theory are central to the study of modern theatre.