Just a Phase is a collage of stories told through the lens of a queer person. It looks back lovingly on the legacy of icons who lived their lives loudly but also acknowledges the violence and precarity of living in a queer body.
Directors Mmatumisang Motsisi and Angelinah Maponya craft a compelling narrative that explores how identity can be continuously constructed and deconstructed. Through a vivid performance by Ashwin May with musical accompaniment by Carla Mostert, the work prioritizes LGBTQ+ experiences, fostering understanding and compassion among viewers. Thanks to Maponya’s the evocative visual landscape, the work not only entertains but ignites a curiosity around the visibility of queer characters and drag culture on stage.
This curiosity challenges societal norms and stereotypes, prompting audience members to confront their own prejudices and preconceptions. As we know, there are still many communities where diversity may not be widely celebrated or understood. As such, the production like this can serve to cultivate ideas of empathy, acceptance, and inclusion.
From church to boudoir, to bedroom, the audience is invited into the world of the fierce and fiery FairyBitchMother. In these sacred spaces, we reach, wrestle, and dream beside the images and songs of this cosmic being. Here we can ponder what queerness might mean in a world where the rules are struck. We can ponder what it might mean to be free.
Catch Just a Phase at National Arts Festival 2024, running from 20-22 June in St. Andrew’s Hall. Tickets are available at nationalartsfestival.co.za.
Production Credits
Created by Ashwin May
Performed by Ashwin May and Carla Mostert
Directed by Mmatumisang Motsisi
Assistant Directed by Angelinah Maponya
Choreographed by Carla Mostert
Design by Angelinah Maponya
Costume by Shiba Sopotela
Stage manager: Lesedi Makhene
Assistant stage manager: Chuma Piliso
Crew member: Prayer Shwala
About the Artists
Ashwin May is a singer, actor and performer who holds a Masters Degree in Contemporary Performance. He has worked on a number of performances that has appeared at The National Arts Festival including "Arcade" curated by Gavin Krastin and "Home" directed by Nomcebisi Moyikwa. He has worked on and starred in numerous productions at the Rhodes Drama Department working alongside directors such as Thembela Madliki and Mmatumisang Motsisi.
He is currently a part time teacher and lecturer in the Rhodes Drama Department at Rhodes University which he has been doing since 2021.
Carla Mostert is a Leo woman and soon to be the first doctor in her family. As a part-time teacher in Rhodes University’s Drama Department, Carla found a home in movement and performance studies. While she doesn’t have any children, she is focusing on nurturing grounded relationships around her. Her doctoral studies are trying to unravel the shame she feels in the world of white female Afrikanerdom by looking at racism and whiteness as social performances. It’s important to her to remember that all systems are man-made and actually, we can change the things that don’t work for us anymore. In her spare time, she is an amateur gardener, yoga teacher at Move, and is in love with ideas of slow scholarship. In Just a Phase, she is a performer, producer and choreographer.
Angelinah Maponya is a visual storyteller, scenographer and dramaturg from Johannesburg, South Africa. Angelinah supervises and lectures Theatre Design at Rhodes University, Drama Department. Their practice is developing a dramaturgy of evocation through a scenographic lens while continuing to experiment with what materiality in theatre can generate.
Mmatumisang Kgosigadi ya ga Motsisi is theatre-maker, educator, sex-positive artivist and performer currently based in Stellenbosch, South Africa. They facilitate meaning-making through the body as the primary means of discovery, exploration and expression. Their work emerges from a curiosity around People, Place and Positionality. Mmatumisang is currently pursuing a dual-award PhD in Higher Education at Stellenbosch University and Coventry University.
- Venue: St Andrew's Hall
- Location: St Andrew's College
- Ticket price: ZAR 60.00
- Programme type: The Fringe
- Genre: Performance Art
- Duration: 45 min
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Ages:
16+
- Adult Themes
- Nudity
There are no performances for this show.
