Following its hugely successful season recently at the Arena Theatre and to honour youth month, this powerful production of Barney Simon’s play Black Dog Inj’emnyama, starring senior UCT drama students, will be restaged at the Baxter Flipside for 10 performances only.
The Baxter Theatre Centre and the University of Cape Town’s Drama Department will celebrate South African youth and commemorate the life and work of Barney Simon with Black Dog Inj’emnyama for a short season from 18 to 27 June at 7.30pm, and a matinee on Saturday, 27 June at 2pm.
MapMyWay says GO! A remarkable tribute to a great SA playwright, by an amazingly talented cast, in a superbly realised production. Barney Simon’s harsh snapshot from the past remains relevant as revealed by these vibrant actors of the future. Do not miss!
Clare Stopford (who was responsible for Blue/Orange at the Baxter earlier this year) directs a superb student cast lead by Khathu Ramabulana, Clarissa Roodt, Kai Brummer, Cleo Raatus, Sihle Mnqwazana and Tankiso Mamabolo with original set design by Sasha Eilers.
“This was a story that needed to be told urgently to break the silence surrounding apartheid,” says Stopford. “Barney believed that theatre was one way of countering the effects of the black-out on news, of biased reporting and misinformation, enforced by the states of emergency of the ‘80s as well as the censorship laws. He called it a ‘war of information’.”
She continues, “But primarily his aim, subliminally political and overtly humanitarian, was for people of a brutally divided country to hear and see each other; to learn about each other, to know each other. It was a theatre that bore testimony to lives lived side by side and in different universes that could begin to cross the divide.”
Black Dog is the leader of a group of students who joined the student uprising in Soweto in 1976, following him through the streets of his hometown and to his final place of exile. The play was first performed in 1984 and was created over six weeks, just a decade before South Africa became a democracy. It featured a mixed cast of six actors made up of a collection of various characters and their experiences of the 1976 student riots which became pivotal to the development of the play.
Twenty years after his passing, the Barney Simon anthology still speaks to contemporary South Africa while reminding us of our rich and painful history.
Celebrating Barney Simon this year highlights the continued relevance of his work to present day South Africa and commends the legacy of one of this country’s most beloved and prolific theatre-makers.
Black Dog Inj’emnyama was selected from the season to kick-start the Baxter’s tribute to the theatre icon. This will be closely followed by Born in the RSA which premieres at the National Arts Festival from 2 to 4 July before transferring to the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio from 8 July to 8 August. Respected actress and director Thoko Ntshinga, who starred in the original production some 30 years ago, directs a dynamic new young cast.
WHAT, WHEN & WHERE: Black Dog Inj’emnyama opens on 18 June and runs for 10 performances only until 27 June at 7.30pm nightly with a matinee on Saturday, 27 June at 2pm at the Baxter Theatre Centre, Main Road Rondebosch, Cape Town 7700.
TICKETS: Computicket on 0861 915 8000, or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet. For discounted corporate, schools or block-bookings, charities or fundraisers, contact Sharon on 021 680 3962, email sharon.ward@uct.ac.za or Carmen on 021 680 3993, email carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za.
PHOTO: Kai Brummer & Khathu Ramabulana – photo by Rob Keith
