ACTOR and playwright Marc Kay also makes his Musho! Festival comeback and this time he chronicles the life of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh in Vincent.
Written and directed by Kay, the piece will be performed by Clinton Small.
Kay explained his interest in the artist: “His is the ultimate tragedy of circumstance. He was born in a time when his work wasn’t appreciated. He has become a cultural trope for the undervalued, but I was more interested in exploring the damage that does to someone’s psyche – never knowing success in your entire adult life.”
On the point of artists not being appreciated in their time, Kay said it’s a bit tricky: “Van Gogh was truly a genius who received absolutely no recognition while he was alive. Most artists these days have a far wider reach, and will have a better chance to get their work out there, and find an audience who like it.
“Also, speaking stylistically, Van Gogh was doing something entirely new, whereas we live in a post-modern era, where almost anything is acceptable. I think all creative types can relate to him, but that very few have actually had to struggle the way he did,” he said.
On what he hopes to achieve with this piece, Kay said: “A bit of despair, a sense of loss, and hopefully a willingness to give new things a chance. There’s a lesson to be learnt from Van Gogh’s life.”
• For age 6 and up, Vincent stages Saturday, 8pm. See mushofestival.co.za.