Brecht’s First Play

“Brecht’s First Play” is a radical and often witty reimagining of Bertolt Brecht’s Baal, conceived by Irish theatre-makers Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel of Dead Centre with a group of Chinese artists and actors. The play, disowned by Brecht himself, tackles a problematic character Baal – a misogynist, sexual predator and violent criminal. Our response is to “cancel” Baal.

 By looking at cancel culture with a global perspective, the show will ask whether a society really does become safer when banishing anti-social elements. Or whether, as Brecht himself came to believe, when revising the play later in life, “it is society itself which is truly anti-social.” Every society relies on a kind of expulsion, a means of defining what constitutes “good” behaviour - defining “the kind of people we are”.

 Brecht's fascination with China was profound, even if entirely idealized, as he never visited the country. His encounter with Mei Lanfang's Peking Opera in Moscow proved life-changing, ultimately forming the cornerstone of his Epic Theatre theory. The more we develop this piece, the more we realise that only a group of Chinese actors can really encapsulate Brecht’s essence on stage, to bring an authentic “Alienation Effect” to the audience. The moral and political dimension is central to its very essence and existence of Chinese theatre. This unequivocal belief echoes with Brecht’s own belief and practice in what theatre should be for. By restaging this not-very-good play and cancelling its immoral character’s bad behaviour on stage, we endeavour to create a perfect show with only correct behaviours allowed by our society now.