Ever try running with a bowl of goldfish? It’s impossible not to spill any water, and difficult to keep your grip on the bowl so that it does not slip and break.
Magnet Theatre’s latest production, Running with Goldfish and Gift Wrapping the Sea, takes a look at the metaphoric sense of this scenario.
Under the directorship of PhD student Brink Scholtz, the production features the trainees of the Magnet Theatre Full-time Training Programme.
“How do we try not to spill, because there are so many ways; through tears, stories, losing control of circumstances.
It’s the idea of containment, exploring how we contain difficult parts of ourselves and life,” says Scholtz.
Set against the backdrop of a storeroom filled with boxes, the story follows a group of 19 people that come to a place to pack away things that haunt them.
“Various things happen that trap them. It becomes at times violent, how it plays out, but also humorous,” shares Scholtz.
These many points are explored through some of the personal experiences of the group of young South Africans.
Showcasing the trainees’ first production, Scholtz adds that the two-month process has been “challenging to collaborate with 20 people in a room, but they have really risen to the occasion as professionals”.
• Running with Goldfish and Gift Wrapping the Sea runs at the Magnet Theatre from today until Sunday. Tickets cost R50, or R30 for students, pensioners and groups of 10 or more. Bookings are through www.webtickets.co.za.