Gynt

The play begins in Ibsen’s *Peer Gynt*, set against the backdrop of Norwegian folklore, in a late-19th-century theater on the outskirts of the village of Haegstadt. Or perhaps it takes place deep within my memory, in a village I once knew, during the summer, when the heat was at its peak? Peer Gynt has just fought with Aslak the blacksmith, and his mother, Aase, is unsettled by all her son’s stories and lies—family tales spanning centuries and legacies. In this play, Peer will ride a goat, kidnap the groom, mate with a sow, seduce Solveig and then abandon her, bury his mother, leave Norway, engage in business / commit crimes / do evil, and then return (more or less) quietly to Haegstadt to die in Solveig’s arms. Above all, the play will follow Peer as he steps out of Ibsen’s play, leaping headfirst into the 21st century, betraying, distorting, and undermining the great playwright’s work, in order to probe the very heart of our society—the figure of the masculine / conqueror / colonizer / prophet, and to attempt to raise a few ethical / political / philosophical / poetic / rhythmic / tragicomic questions. It attempts to decenter Peer Gynt, to push him to the margins / into a corner; to make room for other bodies / figures from both major and minor history; to allow other stories / songs / narratives / visions to take center stage. Aase, Aslak, Solweig, and a myriad of characters (at least 113) jostle for position at