Caucasian Chalk Circle

The Caucasian Chalk circle (Der kaukasische Kreidekreis) is one of Bertolt Brecht's most important plays and one of the most regularly performed German pieces. It is one of a group of plays written by Brecht during his six-year stay in the United States, and was first staged in May 1948 by students at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.

The play is often regarded as part of the epic theatre (episches Theater) tradition. The motives used in the play are found in the Bible, Buddhist and Islamic narrations, and the 13th-century Chinese piece Hui Lan Ji by Li-Xing-dao.

As with the Chinese piece, The Caucasian Chalk Circle has a wise judge, who is able to recognise the woman who behaves maternally to a child. However, Brecht uses the wisdom in a new way: the truly maternal mother, instead of the material mother, is recognised by example.