FOLLOWING its acclaimed success at the World Psychiatry International Congress and its once-off staging last month, psychiatrist Dr Sean Baumann’s rousing cantata, Madness: Songs of Hope and Despair, returns to the Baxter Theatre for a limited season from February 9 to 19, with two Sunday performances at 6pm.
Baumann’s libretto is brought to life through music composed by Galina Juritz with Dizu Plaatjies, conducted by Chad Hendricks and directed by Lara Foot. Fiona Moodie integrates her own artworks with that of work by patients of Valkenberg Hospital, with video design by Koeka Stander and lighting design by Patrick Curtis.
Mental illness and psychotic experiences are brought into the spotlight using a combination of rousing music (both live and some recorded), song and striking visual imagery in an attempt to portray the complexities and also the wonder of these strange and ultimately unknowable worlds.
The project arose from a concern that the plight of the seriously mentally ill is either ignored or profoundly misunderstood, and that this contributes significantly to the suffering of those deemed insane.
John Maytham from Cape Talk was most encouraging: “Absolutely brilliant. One of the most powerful and compassionate evenings I’ve had in the theatre for a while.” Bronwyn Knox for What's on in Cape Town wrote “ enthrallingly beautiful, a unique and artistically exquisite portrayal of mental illness, neither glamorised nor falsified, with beauty resonating in the raw truth of it all the elements seamlessly coalesce as a deeply stirring whole.” Tracey Saunders for Heart of Theatre wrote “ this is a production which begins a neglected conversation which is so desperately needed Magnificent cast with noteworthy performances”
The nine-member vocal ensemble comprises sopranos Linda Nteleza and Palesa Portia Malieloa, altos Nolubabalo Babalwa Mdayi and Fikile Mthetwa, tenors Monwabisi Lindi, Vuyisa Jack and Siphesihle Mdena, and basses Lungile Halam and Ebenezer Sawuli Madoda.
The small orchestra is made up of Matthijs van Dijk and Galina Juritz (violins), Sarah Evans/Asra Isaacs (viola), Luke Otto/Robert Jeffery (cello), Graham H Strickland (upright bass), Gene Kierman (French horn) and Zeke le Grange on saxophone.
Baumann is a senior specialist psychiatrist in the department of psychiatry and mental health at UCT and a consultant at Valkenberg Hospital, having worked at the hospital in the domain of psychosis for over 20 years. He comments: “Scientific accounts of madness or psychotic experiences tend to be inadequate and impoverished by a limited objective perspective."
The story involves a brilliant young student who moves from rural Eastern Cape to the city to study architecture. With his mother struggling to provide for him, he perseveres, falls in love and flourishes, but shortly after graduating, something changes. He loses all perception and descends into a harrowing state of psychosis, tormented by voices telling him he is mad. The subject of mental health and its place in today’s society has always intrigued director Foot.
Last year, her play The Inconvenience of Wings, about a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder, premiered to critical acclaim and sold out performances at the National Arts Festival and at the Baxter. For her research on the development of the play, she worked closely with Baumann to get a better understanding of the prejudices that impact on the work done in the area of mental health. Foot is a multi-awarding-winning writer, director and producer, and she is the chief executive and artistic director of the Baxter Theatre Centre.
Composer Juritz is also an accomplished violinist with extensive experience in a diverse range of musical genres. She has worked as a session player, a composer for ensembles, short films, theatre and television, and as a performer with classical and contemporary ensembles. She has worked with top local artists such as Freshlyground, Rudimentals, Brydon Bolton, Taxi Violence and Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz winner Shane Cooper. She was also the principal violinist in Neo Muyanga’s Memory of How it Feels at the Baxter and The Flower of Shembe at Artscape.
Twenty-five-year-old conductor and choirmaster Chad Hendricks is also a trumpet player. Earlier this year he won the prestigious third annual national Len Van Zyl Conducting Competition, which enabled him to complete an internship with the Philadelphia Orchestra in the US. It also afforded him the opportunity to participate in the conducting masters programme (for a semester) at the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University in Chicago, under the tuition of maestro Victor Yampolsky.
He is currently the resident conductor of the Cape Town Ghoema Orchestra and the assistant conductor of the Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
Moodie is an artist and award-winning book illustrator whose work has been exhibited locally and abroad. In 2007 she was awarded the Exclusive Books IBBY award for illustration for Fynbos Fairies, and in 2010 she received the MER prize for best children’s book of the year with Linda Rode for In die Nimmer Immer Bos. Last year Moodie was honoured with the Unicef South Africa award for best author, the Media 24 award for best children’s book of 2014 and the Exclusive Books IBBY Prize for Noko and the Kool Kats. For many years she has had a particular interest in Outsider Art.
Traditional music artist and cultural historian Plaatjies is no stranger to local audiences. Some of his own compositions have been incorporated in the opera Madness: Songs of Hope and Despair. Well known for his group Amampondo, Plaatjies has travelled worldwide, sharing his cultural-exchange ideas with great success. After Amampondo’s international tour, Plaatjies returned to South Africa and began lecturing in African dance and music at UCT, a position which he still holds today.
Videography for the cantata is created by Koeka Stander, whose most important solo works have included Manina, Ejoli and Gedag Dig Aan, which were presented as a triptych at the SA National Gallery, and Bo Alles at the Encounters documentary film festival. Most recently, her short film Bo Alles went viral on Facebook, receiving well over 22000 views and shares.
Madness: Songs of Hope and Despair will be staged at the Baxter Theatre for a limited season from February 9 to 19, with performances at 8pm nightly and Sunday performances on February 12 and 19 at 6pm.
There is an age restriction of 14. Tickets cost R150 and booking is through Computicket on 0861 915 8000.