Brothers in Blood and Rainbow Scars form a double bill by Mike van Graan at Artscape. And there are some amazing ‘first-week-specials’ on Wednesday 24 to Saturday 27 April.
The award-winning play about Muslim, Jewish and Christian relations – Brothers in Blood – which played to sold-out houses in Cape Town last year, returns to the Artscape Arena Theatre as part of a double bill. The second play is the premiere of Rainbow Scars, a three-hander featuring a white suburban mother, her born-free, black adopted daughter and the estranged cousin of the daughter, a “rainbow family” that serves as a metaphor for contemporary South Africa.
Take advantage of various “first-week specials”, aimed at getting the maximum number of people to attend the initial shows to catalyse word-of-mouth – the most important means of theatre advertising – about the shows.
Rainbow Scars previews on Wednesday 24 April at 18:00 and Brothers in Blood has its official opening at 20:30, which will be followed by drinks and snacks with the cast. Tickets for the Rainbow Scars preview are R50 each, which will entitle you to the same number of FREE tickets to the opening of Brothers in Blood on the same night!
On Thursday 25 April, the plays are reversed. Brothers in Blood runs at 18:00 and Rainbow Scars officially opens at 20:30, which will be followed by drinks and snacks with the cast. Tickets for the show at 18:00 are R85 each; again, any number of tickets bought for this show will entitle you to the same number of FREE tickets to the opening of Rainbow Scars at 20:30 (and to the cocktail party afterwards).
Tickets are limited for these shows (100 each) and so are available on a first come, first served basis ONLY via the Artscape Box Office at 021-4217695 (telephone and credit card bookings are welcome).
The performances on Friday 26 April are aimed at members of bookclubs (though, not exclusively), and there will be some book giveaways and a writer or two will be in attendance. Tickets to BOTH shows on the night are R120 i.e. see both shows for R120, or see one for R85 (Brothers in Blood is at 18:00 and Rainbow Scars at 20:30).
With Saturday 27 April being Freedom Day, and given that Rainbow Scars features a young “born free” in matric and some of her struggles in contemporary South Africa, this show is aimed at learners in Grade 12, others born in 1994 or after, and their families. The special price for BOTH shows on this night is R80 i.e. pay R80 and see both shows. This price is only available via the Artscape Box Office at 021-4217695, and you would need to ask for the “born-free deal”.
If you would only like to attend one of the shows on either Friday 26 or Saturday 27 April, there are specials for you too! For individual shows on these nights, for every four tickets that you buy, you will get two free tickets to the same show i.e. get six tickets for the price of four (R320). Again, this special is available only through the Artscape Box Office.
The shows also run in tandem on Sunday 28 April; Rainbow Scars is at 15:00 and Brothers in Blood plays at 17:30. These performances are aimed mainly at actors, directors, technicians and others in the theatre industry and their families. These may obtain reduced tickets via the Artscape Box Office, 021-4217695, and are asked to make a contribution after the shows to the Theatre Benevolent Fund that supports destitute practitioners. Members of the public are also welcome to attend both or either of these shows at R85 each, or R120 for both shows.
Pensioner and student discount with proof of ID qualify for R50 tickets at all performances. All other performances are at R85 per ticket. Block bookings of 10 or more are discounted at R75 per ticket. Book for Brothers in Blood and Rainbow Scars on the same night, for only R120. Book at Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat 021-4217695.
These two plays will run from 24 April to 11 May, one at 18:00 and the second at 20:30, making for a “festival feel”.
