by Rita Charleston

Quintessence Theatre Group launches its seventh season with David Hare's translation of Bertolt Brecht's “Mother Courage and Her Children.” With original music by Obie-winning composer and Philadelphia native Michael Friedman, the play runs from tonight (Oct. 13) to Nov. 6 at the theatre, 7137 Germantown Ave. in Mt. Airy. Directed by Quintessence's Artistic Director Alexander Burns, the show stars Janis Dardaris in the title role.

“Mother Courage and Her Children” is an epic retelling of the Thirty Years War as experienced through the trials of a cunning canteen operator (Mother Courage) determined to make a profit from the war, no matter the danger to herself and her children. Written in 1939, it is considered by some to be perhaps the greatest anti-war play ever written. Brecht's work attempts to show the dreadfulness of war and the idea that virtues are not rewarded in corrupt times.

“In doing this role, I'm in every single scene.” Dardaris said. “I've also never had to sing so many songs in any one show. So all that's very challenging. But it's also a wonderful role, and I see why so many people love Brecht. My role can also be a little terrifying, but great roles always are.”

Dardaris, who requested that her age not be mentioned, grew up in Bucks County but now splits her time between Manhattan and Haverford. She describes her character as “larger-than-life,” a woman who profits from the war. “And while she has the opportunity to turn away from it, she does not. Brecht describes people who profit from war as 'The big people.' As one of the little people, Mother Courage does her best to profit from it, too.”

A veteran of stage, film and TV, Dardaris makes her living as a full-time entertainer. “I also do commercials and voice-overs, and from my first memory I wanted to be an actress. I was always one of those people who was rather expressive, or needed to be. And somehow, the idea of transforming into another person, or escaping yourself and going into another world, always appealed to me.”

Still, she added, all the time she spent at William Tennent High School she never appeared in a play, and no one ever suspected she wanted to become an actress. “I was actually too terrified to do anything in high school, so by the time I went back for a reunion, everyone was shocked that I had become a professional actress.”

Her training began at Bucks County Community College, a place, she insists, that had an excellent theater program. “It was connected with the Bucks County Playhouse, so I got to meet, learn and work with some of the best actors in the country. I eventually began to connect with the Philadelphia theater community through Hedgerow and People's Light.”

Over the years, Dardaris, who has been nominated for 10 Barrymore Awards, has been seen in many local, regional and touring company productions. She's also done a great deal of film and TV work, including “The Sixth Sense,” “Third Watch,” “Law and Order” and more.

“I love doing it all for different reasons,” she insisted. “Of course, film pays the best, but in film they can cut around you to make a story. But on the stage you become the editor of your own work, which I really enjoy.”

For tickets, call 215-987-4450.