TO LIFE, WITH LOVE, performed by the highly-regarded Cape Talk host and actor, John Maytham, who commissioned the piece by playwright Mike van Graan. Josh Lindberg directs the play.
Inspired by Atul Gawande’s bestseller Being Mortal and drawing on Helena Dolny’s book, Before Ever After, TO LIFE, WITH LOVE, is a poetic piece featuring the character Thomas Michael Faulkner, who, confronted by a life-changing moment, makes decisions about how he will live.
As part of its development, a few staged readings of To Life, With Love were held soliciting generous and engaged audience responses that have contributed to the evolution of the script. Written comments from audience members after the readings include:
- So many insights delivered in one sitting. A masterpiece.’ – Sharon-Joy
- Very thought-provoking and highly relevant. A magnificent performance and conversation. – Jennifer
- A play that all parents should see with their children to catalyse necessary but difficult conversations. – Jane
TO LIFE, WITH LOVE moves to The Drama Factory following its run at Artscape.
WHAT: TO LIFE, WITH LOVE – John Maytham
WHERE: Artscape’s Innovation Lounge, Artscape Theatre Centre, Foreshore, Cape Town 8001
WHEN: 19.30 from Monday 3 to Saturday 8 February, with a matinee at 16.00 on the Saturday
BOOKINGS: Webtickets
INFO: Mike van Graan E art27m@iafrica.com | Artscape
PHOTO: John Maytham reading the script
Mike van Graan is an award-winning playwright with 40 plays under his belt.
In addition to writing plays, Mike has extensive experience in cultural policy, building artists’ networks both locally and across the African continent, and in advocacy. He has served as the Secretary General of Arterial Network, as the Director of the African Arts Institute and the Coordinator of the Sustaining Theatre and Dance (STAND) Foundation. In May 2024, he completed a 3-month writer’s residency at the University of the Free State where he wrote a play, THE GOOD WHITE, set against the backdrop of the Rhodes/Fees Must Fall campaigns. This play will be co-produced by the Market Theatre (Johannesburg) and Die Suidoosterfees (Cape Town). He also used the time to update his 2014 script, RETURN OF THE ANCESTORS to 2024, the production of which was done with Bloemfontein-based actors and which had a short run at The Wave Theatre in Cape Town. Mike is currently concentrating on building a sustainable theatre practice as a writer/producer while also engaged in activities related to the Palestinian Arts and Culture Solidarity Collective (PACSOC), an informal network that seeks to support the Palestinian creative sector at this time when Palestinians as a whole are facing the most brutal existential assault by Israel and its liberal democracy enablers. He has also been invited to teach an arts management course to drama students at the University of Free State in 2024 and in 2025.
