Amee Lekas’s Die Dans van die Watermeid (The Dance of the Water Maiden), which was chosen for development at the Kunste Onbeperk’s inaugural Teksmark (script market) initiative in Cape Town last year, comes to life at the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio until Saturday November 25.
Lekas’s debut script was selected out of 14 entries at a presentation of short extracts by the Nasionale Afrikaanse Teater-inisiatief (NATi) and the Baxter Theatre Centre and is now brought to the stage as a full-scale production, directed by Jason Jacobs with a stellar cast.
Teksmark was launched in 2016 by Kunste Onbeperk, the company behind the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival with the express purpose to serve as a platform for writers to submit texts and text ideas to the industry for possible further development. The initiative is supported by NATi and the Baxter Theatre Centre.
Die Dans van die Watermeid is set against the backdrop of the picturesque Willowmore in the arid Klein Karoo where Lekas grew up. The story revolves around how the people hold on to their superstitions in spite of the influence of the church.
It also addresses social issues, such as today’s young people who struggle without the prospect of a job or a better life.
Meanwhile, the rhythm of the water nymph’s dance reverberates with the promise of deliverance when the rain comes.
Lekas, 26, a Stellenbosch University Drama graduate, completed the text under the mentorship of acclaimed playwright Saartjie Botha.
In the process, she had the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of the water nymph — a mythical figure which wasn’t only a messenger of a portent, but an integral part of a community’s history.
Tickets are R120. Book through Computicket. For block bookings contact Sharon on 021 680 3962 or sharon.ward@uct.ac.za
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