ARTSCAPE celebrates the 10th anniversary of its annual Spring Drama Season this year.
Running from next month to November, the season will feature four plays and two showcases at the Artscape Arena.
Artscape creative manager, Mandla Mbothwe, says they are expanding beyond only identifying new writing through submitted scripts, by looking for new works from new voices.
Still, close to 50 new scripts were submitted this year, which bodes well for the volume of local work.
As per usual, the Spring Drama Season forms part of Artscape’s New Writing Programme, which is devoted to the professional writing and production of new local plays in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.
Once a submitted play has been identified as having promise, the playwright works with an editor or director for a re-write, before the play is given a showcase performance or performed reading. If this is successful it can be considered for a full production.
Rafiek Mammon’s The Garage Sale was the showcase production at last year’s Spring Drama Festival and this year it returns to open the festival.
Directed by Tara Notcutt, it tells the story of siblings (played by Kim Cloete and Stefan Erasmus) and a pizza deliveryman (Carel Nel) in Cape Town suburbia. The dark comedy runs from October 2 to 11 and carries an age restriction of no under-16s.
Ingubo Emphlophe by Gcobani Zatu, directed by Peggy Mongoato, is the first of two showcases running on October 17 and 18. This is a play about three traditional white blankets – the ones worn by initiates at circumcision school; the ones worn by traditional slaughterers who slaughter the offerings made to the ancestors; and the white blanket with black stripes worn by traditional healers. These traditional white blankets are pitted against the white coats worn by Western doctors as the play looks at the diminishing of traditional circumcision and the rise of traditional healers in it for the money.
A double bill featuring Undone and Chomi runs on alternate nights from October 21 to November 1.
Undone is the English translation (by Hennie van Greunen) of Wessel Pretorius’ Ont which ran the gamut of Afrikaans theatre festivals, picking up various awards in 2012 and last year. Pretorius directs himself in multiple roles in this bewitching story about a boy and his dysfunctional family.
Chomi was written by Pfarelo Nemakonde and is directed by Motlatji Ditodi. Alfred Rietmann has designed the sets of both plays.
Chomi is set in Joburg and follows the lives of four black, openly gay 20-something men as tragedy strikes and throws the friends into turmoil. The play carries a no person under-18 age restriction.
Return of the Ancestors, by associate playwright at Artscape, Mike van Graan, will be performed from November 6 to 15. This hard-hitting satire genuflects to the South African classic Woza Albert in which Jesus returned to South Africa during apartheid. In Return of the Ancestors the Council of Ancestors send Steve Biko and Neil Aggett back to see if the sacrifices of those who were killed in the struggle against apartheid, was worth it. Mandisi Sindo and Sija Sikawuti play various characters as directed by Mdu Kewyama.
Thoko Ntshinga’s theatrical adaptation of the novel Ndinthungile Selani by DV Thom completes the season. The adaptation forms part of a new project in the Artscape New Writing programme entitled isiXhosa Classics.
“The Western Cape has three official languages and we should reflect that in our theatres. There is a conscious decision to build the Afrikaans through the festivals and we see that. We’re trying at Artscape to create a projection around the appreciation of the Xhosa language and aesthetic,” said Mbothwe.
Ndinthungile Selani runs from November 20 to 29 and is the second showcase production for this year. In the book, Tom explores how women can be abused in the name of customs.
• Tickets for the Spring Drama Season are priced from R40 to R90. Book at Computicket or call 021 461 7695.