Lina Majdalanie / Rabih Mroué

In 1947 while in exile in America, writer, playwright and director Bertolt Brecht was summoned to appear before the Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), which was tasked with combating communist activities. Against this background, Brecht wrote a statement, which he was ultimately not allowed to read out loud. This declaration and the transcripts of the trial are two of the threads that Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué spin in their latest work. Their exploration of Brecht echoes current political and social issues, ideological confusion and fierce and irreconcilable confrontations of opinion. True to the playful approach to theatre that the duo has always pursued, the historical events will indulge in fantasies and digressions. Critical inquiry is always at the forefront – with much humour, Majdalanie and Mroué, who have shared Brecht’s experience of exile since their emigration from Beirut to Berlin, resist all preconceived notions.