The empire builders; [a play]

There was a time, probably in the mid-1980s when I was working through an MFA in Theater (acting, specifically), during which I conducted a search for "the weirdest plays ever written."

Of course that's such a subjective thing that it evades real interest or even definition, but I did enjoy exploring some of the answers I got from people when I posed the question. The Empire Builders was one of the better answers, and I'd love to re-read it.

Only one of the treasures in this play is the onstage presence of the Schmerz, a bandaged and bleeding figure who takes no part in the action but whom the other characters occasionally walk over and beat and/or stab. Great fun. The Schmerz (German for sorrow/pain) is one of those symbols that's so show more obvious it's hardly even a symbol any more. Sometimes I dream about such things. No interpretation necessary.

Gotta love Vian. show less

En «Los forjadores del Imperio» Vian ha conseguido un magnífico retrato del burgués, de su moral digestiva y de su negativa rabiosa a rendirse ante la evidencia que lo condena. Ha descrito la agonía de una conciencia cerrada que, pasado su ciclo histórico, y ano es operativa, y cuya destructividad, falta de aplicación, revierte sobre sí misma.