Oxford Theatre Guild’s Autumn season begins with a modern work, The American Pilot, which was first performed by the RSC in 2005.

It shows what happens when a US Air Force pilot crash lands into a community caught up in a long civil war, and the impact of his dramatic arrival.

The idealist, the leader, the opportunist, the pragmatist, and the romantic – the pilot means different things to different people. Using black comedy and lyrical language the play explores small lives and the relationship between the superpower and the rest of the world.This is neither a pro- nor an anti-American tirade, but an exploration of the stories behind the bombings of wedding parties and suicide missions in market places.

The pilot has bailed out of his plane as it crashes. With his leg badly smashed he his rescued by a local farmer who is just trying to do the right thing. Held in the farmer’s barn the pilot becomes the allegorical centre of a tale that could be set in any number of war zones.

Colin Macnee, the director, is an enthusiast for Greig’s work, having directed one and acted in two of his plays.

He said: “This play is beautifully written and in one scene can be comic, chilling, and poignant. It weaves together many themes – but all through very real people faced with tough decisions.”

This is Colin’s third production as director for OTG. The production runs from next Wednesday to the Saturday.