'Has anyone ever told the truth? Has anyone ever demanded it? Does anyone want it? Does anyone even need it?' In a small town in Syria, soldiers are celebrated as heroes and grieving families are nourished on propaganda. As coffins pile up, a local party leader decides on a radical compensation scheme: a goat for each son martyred. Goats is a major new work by Syrian playwright and documentary film-maker Liwaa Yazj, translated by Katharine Halls. Developed as part of the Royal Court International Department's long-term project with writers from Syria and Lebanon, the play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, on 24 November 2017, in a production directed by Hamish Pirie.