LAST year’s Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Theatre, Greg Homann, presents his new South African play, A Voice I Cannot Silence.
Starring KZN actors Ralph Lawson (also one of the writers of the play), Clare Mortimer and Menzi Mkhwane, the production pays tribute to poet and author, Alan Paton, who was haunted by the injustices of South African society, and whose life and writing were dedicated to freedom, equality and the alleviation of human suffering.
Lawson (pictured) takes on the role of Paton in the production, while Mortimer plays Paton’s second wife and Mkwane represents the many boys whom Paton dealt with when he was still a principal at a reformatory in Diepkloof.
Shedding light on what attracted him to this play, Lawson says he finds Paton awe-inspiring, as a human being as much as an artist: “I rank him as one of the greatest writers this country has ever produced. I wanted to share this with an audience who might possibly be unaware of the power of his work and the sacrifices he made in his fight against injustice, intolerance and inhumanity.”
With Lawson and Mortimer’s extensive experience as directors themselves, they explain what it’s like working under Homann.
Lawson reveals: “It is the first time I have worked with Greg. When we were looking for a director for the piece, Greg’s name came up and I jumped at the opportunity. Although I have directed many productions myself, I am definitely of the opinion that two heads are better than one and when I am creating a role, I rely very heavily on a director for his input and an outside eye to keep me up to scratch.”
For Mortimer, Homann was a strong guide for them: “He has an acute sense of where we are all headed and therefore shapes and links with such thorough knowledge on the whole. This makes him easy to trust as we stumble through the process. As far as being a director myself, I think it fair to say that each one of us has a different approach and I do not hold mine as being better than anyone else’s. In fact, I relish the differences. As long as there is trust, vision and hard slog, I feel safe.”
Dealing with issues such as forgiveness, responsibility, regret and endurance, Mkhwane says the play also looks at the responsibility of those placed in power: “The story illustrates these themes so well through the way in which we see Alan’s life; as represented on stage.
“It will intrigue people in the sense that they will meet the man they thought they knew and be surprised to find out that there were some deeper things troubling his soul. The tenderness and realism will appeal to the whole family and leave them thinking a little more deeply about our democracy and what it truly means to us all.”
l A Voice I Cannot Silence runs from July 10 to 12.