After touring locally and internationally for 15 years, to overwhelming praise and success, the multi-award-winning production, Kafka's Ape, returns home to where it all began, The National Arts Festival.
This powerful one-hander, directed by Phala O Phala and performed by Tony Bonani Miyambo, is a powerful adaptation of Franz Kafka's short story, 'A Report to an Academy'.
A primate named Red Peter, delivers a devastating report to the Academy, confronting the complexities of identity and the dangers of othering. Through a metaphorical lens, Kafka's Ape presents humanity held to an ape's mirror, sparking crucial reflections on society and our place within it.
Kafka's Ape is a testament to the power of South Africa's independent theatre-making, showcasing the country's vibrant creative talent on global stages, such as the Rwanda Genocide Memorial and the Royal Academy in London. The production has been hailed as "a masterpiece of physical theatre" (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and "Empathy-driven and incredibly powerful" at the Perth Fringe Festival.
Miyambo's tour-de-force performance has also earned him numerous accolades, which include the Silver Ovation award at the National Arts Festival, The Outstanding Performance Award at Prague Fringe Festival 2019, Best Satire Award at New York's United Solo Festival, The Graham F Smith Peace Foundation Award at the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2021 and the prestigious Lustrum award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2024, amongst others.
Production Credits
Tony Bonani Miyambo
Phala Ookeditse Phala
About the Artists
Bonani Tony Miyambo | Conceptualiser & Performer
Tony is a BA (Dramatic Arts) Graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand and the Co-Director of Noma Yini. A company that provides specialised services in the creative industry. Over his career, Tony has produced and performed numerous independent theatre productions, some of which have toured and won awards globally. His body of work includes acclaimed solo performances; The Cenotaph of Dan Wa Moriri, Commission Continua, and internationally acclaimed Kafka’s Ape. Tony was also awarded the 2012 Brett Goldin Award and studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon, UK.
Phala Ookeditse Phala | Conceptualiser, Writer & Director
Phala is a multi-award-winning ‘storyier’ in the form of a playwright, theatre-maker, dramaturg and director whose work has won awards in South Africa, USA, Czech Republic, Australia and Scotland. He is the Co-Director of Noma Yini. His over 20 years experience arts practice includes working at The Centre for the Less Good Idea as its Animateur. He holds a Masters in Dramatic Arts from University of the Witwatersrand. His works champion emotional and psychologically stimulating storytelling as a uniquely African aesthetic. His focus and interest are on methodologies of making and creating work in ways that collapse and disrupt conventional norms.
Trailer
- Venue: St Andrew's Hall
- Location: St Andrew's College
- Venue: Dicks
- Location: Monument Building
- Ticket price: ZAR 120.00
- Programme type: The Fringe
- Genre: Theatre
- Duration: 50 minutes
-
Ages:
ALL AGES
