Die heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe

In this version of the story of Joan of Arc, Brecht transforms the protagonist into ‘Joan Dark’, a member of the ‘Black Straw Hats’ in 20th century Chicago. The play Saint Joan of the Stockyards charts Joan’s battle with Pierpont Mauler, the owner of a meat-packing plant. Joan is a doomed woman, a martyr and (initially, at least) an innocent in a world of strike-breakers, fat cats, and penniless workers. Like many of Brecht’s plays it is laced with humor and interspersed with songs as part of its structure. In the end, cast out from the others, Joan meets her fate in the stockyards.