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Overview

Synopsis

Galy Gay is a porter living peacefully near a British military garrison in Kilkoa, when one day he decides to purchase a fish. On his way to the market, Galy gets caught up in the schemes of a group of ne'er do well soldiers who have burglarized a holy site. The soldiers convince Galy to replace their comrade, who has gone into hiding to avoid punishment for the vandalism. What began as a 10-minute trip to the market turns into a lifetime as the “soft-natured” Galy goes along with the soldiers’ plot, gains power and military glory, and loses his real identity in the process.

One of Brecht’s earliest plays, Man Equals Man is an excellent example of agitprop theatre - the “theatre of ideas” in support of communism - and also of Brecht’s unique expressionist style. While the characters on stage delight in and laud Galy Gay’s transformation from impoverished laborer to decorated and fearsome military general, the audience must ask themselves what the real cost is for Galy’s apparent “heroism,” and in what ways the spirits and identities of individuals are destroyed by the machines of war, colonialism and capitalism.

Brecht’s short play The Elephant Calf was intended to be an interlude to Man Equals Man, potentially to be played at the intermission. It features several of the same characters, including Galy Gay as the titular baby elephant. Although The Elephant Calf is not usually performed as an intermission piece in modern productions of Man Equals Man, the two plays are interlinked, with The Elephant Calf offering a farcical comment on the longer work.

Show Information

Category
Play
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
1
First Produced
1926
Genres
Dark Comedy, Satire
Settings
Period
Time & Place
British Colonial India, 1925
Cast Size
medium
Orchestra Size
None
Dancing
None
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
College/University, Large Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast

Context

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Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Galy Gay

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Uriah Shelley

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Jesse Mahoney

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Polly Baker

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Jeraiah Jip

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Charles Fairchild

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Mr. Wang

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Leokadja Begbick

Supporting

Female

Non-singer

Galy Gay's Wife

Featured

Female

Non-singer

Mah Sing

Featured

Male

Non-singer

Soldiers

Ensemble

Male

Non-singer

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

    A portmanteau of "agitation" and "propaganda," a type of political propaganda used in art, literature, and performance.

    Theatre that is inspired by the work of Bertolt Brecht, especially in its use of unconventional storytelling, political message, and experimentalism.

    The policy or practice of a wealthy or powerful nation's maintaining or extending its control over other countries.

    A government and economic system in which people do not own individual property.

    A style of theatre that utilized theatrical elements and scenery with exaggeration and distortion in order to convey strong feelings and ideas to audiences.

    Description of material not protected by copyright law.

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Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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