“Who Would Disagree that in a World of Trump and Putin and Boris Johnson ... Brecht Is Not the Theorist and Playwright of Our Times?”: Bertolt Brecht’s Influence on David Greig’s Work

Abstract

This article maps out David Greig’s engagement with the figure of Bertolt Brecht, both the ‘theorist’ and the ‘playwright.’ It addresses this engagement in terms not just of influence but also of creative dialogue and enduring inspiration. The first part of this article looks at Brecht and Greig’s similarities and Greig’s Brechtian influence generally, which are explored, for instance, through Brechtian concepts such as “breaking the rules,” “critical stance” and “entertainment.” The second part focuses on the idea of “making political theatre politically” (Thamer and Turnheim 90; emphasis original) and argues that the most relevant Brechtian aspect in Greig’s work is the way it envisions and politicizes the relationship between the play and the audience via the use of some strategies that draw on epic theatre, which, in Greig’s work, operate under “post-Brechtian dialectics” (Barnett, “Performing”). The third part of the article illustrates the Brechtian import of Greig’s work by exploring two case studies, The American Pilot (2005) and The Events (2013). In analyzing these two paradigmatically Brechtian plays, this article illustrates how understanding Brecht’s influence on Greig’s work is essential in order to understand the politics of Greig’s theatre. More widely, this article contributes towards understanding Brecht’s legacy with regard to political British theatre in the age of globalization.