THE STRANGER is set in a dystopian contemporary town: humdrum, grinding, materialistic and bigoted. A gifted musician arrives from across the border or from another world; his music is transformational: it unifies people, shifts their priorities, brings the natural world into focus, and reveals an underlying harmony in the universe. Orpheus’ wife is murdered on the night of their marriage, and he journeys to the Underworld to retrieve her. There, in an encounter with a personification of Death, he experiences a reality devoid of duality, meaning, morality and form. The songs he sings on his return are haunted by despair at his loss, and at the unfolding devastation of the world. The work closes with his lynching by a xenophobic mob.
The work’s primary thematic threads include the significance of myth, the sacred and memory within our lives; the power of the arts to transform consciousness and to imbue our lives with meaning; the fragile, precious interconnectedness of the biosphere; the mystery of life; and the value of outsiders within our societies.
Production Credits
Script, design and direction: Brett Bailey
Music composed by: Nkosenathi Koela
Performers: Nkosenathi Koela, Nico Athene, Zimbini Makwethu, Apollo Ntshoko, Kim Masala + Brett Bailey
Soundscapes: James Webb + Brett Bailey
Sound Technician: Jethro Harris
Production manager: Barbara Mathers
About the Artists
BRETT BAILEY
Brett Bailey is a South African playwright, designer, director, installation artist, and the artistic director of the performance company THIRD WORLD BUNFIGHT. His works have played across Europe, Australia and Africa, and in the USA, Latin America and Asia, and have won several awards. He has a post graduate diploma in performance studies from DAS Theatre, Amsterdam.
NKOSENATHI KOELA
Nkosenathi Ernie Koela (Mntana.WeXhwele) is a Ph.D candidate specializing in indigenous music therapies at the University of Cape Town. Using interdisciplinary practice encompassing being an Afrikan multi-instrumentalist, instrument maker, composer, writer, poet, playwright, director, singer, academic and dancer; Koela creates textures of music embedded in Afrikan spirituality. He also teaches others how to play traditional instruments.
- Venue: Great Hall
- Location: The Great Hall
- Ticket price: R150.00
- Programme type: Curated Programme
- Genre: Theatre
- Duration: 90 minutes
-
Ages:
14+
- Adult Themes
