Xola Honono and Thando Baliso feature in Night and Day, which begins at Artscape this week. Xola Honono and Thando Baliso feature in Night and Day, which begins at Artscape this week.
Hidden voices will be heard while stories from the past come to life when the Artscape Theatre showcases this year’s New Voices programme from tomorrow, to October 28 at the Artscape Arena.
The three productions - Imbewu, Night and Day, and Once Upon a Nation - which starts tomorrow and runs until October 28 - were selected from scripts, concepts and synopses submitted by artists, theatre-makers, directors and storytellers from across the country.
Imbewu, written by Sinethemba Twani and directed by the legendary Fatima Dike, is the “New Voice” to hit the stage. The show will run from tomorrow until October 7. In this family drama, a father is on a mission to get a second son and successor for the family business. This comes at a cost to other family members, leaving empty spaces that need to be filled.
The answers to his question lie deep within the family secrets, that will change his life for better or worse while challenging his beliefs.
The second production, Night and Day is a story about a man called Vincent, who was once honest but now finds himself in prison through a series of unexpected circumstances.
Did these circumstances warrant his imprisonment? Did he commit the crime that put him behind bars for good reason?
One morning he awakes and decides that he wants to write a book. In this process, he gives us insight into the dark past that led to his imprisonment.
He also “befriends” his prison warden, thus starting a male-to-male emotional journey that examines some interesting questions. The show, written by Khayalethu Anthony and directed by Khayalethu Mofu, will be staged from October 10 to 14.
Wrapping up this year’s programme is Once Upon a Nation, written by Lindsay Abrahams and directed by Lee-Ann Van Rooi.
Characters in this fairy tale-esque production share the same democracy but find themselves living worlds apart. Or do they really?
A sneak peek into their lives reveals the various realities that we, as common people, deal with - just how unique are our different cultural climates, really?
As these everyday realities are being paralleled with those of fictional characters who we know very well, it leaves us questioning the line between reality and fantasy: Are we ignorant and delusional to the dangers of our reality?
Do we just accept our given fate as part of the circle of life, or will we decide to wake up and rebel against the fantasy written for us by those in power?
The play uses skit-comedy, parody and storytelling devices to portray the various ways in which this nation, once destined for greatness, has lost the plot, and that many people’s lives have not really changed, more than 20 years into our democracy. The show is slated from October 24 to 28.
Artscape Theatre senior communications manager, Simone Heradien, said the latest production was guided by the spirit of rectifying societal harms and inclusiveness in the arts and seeks to give voice to new theatre-makers, directors, choreographers, scriptwriters and creative expression.
“It is led by Artscape’s vision of redressing past illnesses through a multi-cultural, interdisciplinary and diverse aesthetic that embraces the totality of our society,” she said.
* Tickets,which sell for R40 for pupils, R45 for pensioners, and R50 for students and block bookings of more than 10, are available via Computicket or Artscape-Dial-a-Seat, 021 421 7695.