Mattias Brunn (born 1976) is a playwright, actor, and director and has been praised by critics and audiences alike for his work on the themes of power structures, masculinity, gender, and sexuality. In 2019 he was awarded the Staffan Göthe Prize, with the following citation: “He is devoted to the scenic portrayal of alienation. He clears its minefields, captivates its paradises—multitalented, cheerful, and brave.” His work includes plays that have been staged at many theaters all over Sweden and abroad. Brunn lives in Stockholm and has been one of three artistic directors at Folkteatern Gävleborg since 2015.

COURAGE, 1980s Sweden and the panic of the AIDS era.
An infectious-disease physician discovers a deadly virus. A priest devotes her life to the infected. A funeral director is one of the first to bury the victims. One of those infected becomes the first to survive the epidemic.

Courage is a new drama based on real-world events, the story of four people who stood up in the storm and did what they knew to be the right thing despite being surrounded by condemnation. The piece sheds a light on the courage of convictions during the AIDS epidemic in Sweden, and the real events and fates that these characters lived through and took part in. A dizzying tale of the value of human life, bravery, and hope.

The Courage Project as a whole is a collective work by Mattias Brunn, Mårten Andersson, Joakim Rindå, Victor Wigardt, and Lotta Östlin Stenshäll.

Read the excerpt here.

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