01 January - 23 August 2008

SIZWE BANSI IS DEAD

Tickets: 12

A man known as Sizwe leaves his home, wife and kids in King Williams Town to seek employment and better prospects in Port Elizabeth. He is refused an official permit that would allow him to work, and was told to leave town within three days. Coming back with his friend Buntu from a local Shebeen one day, they stumble across a dead man with a valid pass. To survive in this town Sizwe must assume the dead man’s identity. This is not an easy decision for Sizwe, for he has to write to his wife and explain his sudden change of name and identity. As a matrix for the interpretation of human resistance in situations of oppression, Sizwe Bansi is Dead resonates with the issues of social disparity and prejudice in many societies. This contemporary version of Fugard’s play by Camino De orula centralizes the struggles of an average person in modern day Ireland, most especially the homeless; the underprivileged, and the disadvantaged. These people if given the opportunity to speak have a story to tell; some of which might not be different from the ones in Sizwe Bansi is Dead. Exploring the concept of “Total Theatre”, this production will be innovative in the use of songs coupled with an eclectic use of gestures, mime, dance, music, symbolism and stage imagery.

***** ‘In a practically flawless production, enough cannot be said about this brilliant central cast…each of whom are riveting and generous performers’

Irish Examiner

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