New on stage at the Playhouse

THE sheer quality and variety of theatre on offer at The Playhouse Company's annual New Stages Festival in Durban seems to get better every year. The new series beginning in May is certainly no exception.

Audiences can look forward to an absolute feast of creative, original and thought-provoking productions, as well as a hit comedy, each one focusing on issues facing our nation today.

It's a theatrical extravaganza of music, dance and drama, featuring some of the country's best known talents on stage including such household names as Dr John Kani, Atandwa Kani, Nat Ramabulana and Susan Danford as well as a host of professional artists in various art forms.

The New Stages festival is unique and relevant because most of the productions carry a profoundly powerful message for South Africans, touching on such pertinent themes like transformation, race relations, social cohesion and the experience of exiles returning to new challenges in our nascent democracy.

The first must-see performance runs at the Loft Theatre on 6 and 7 May for schools and 7 May to 10 May for general public.

If vibrant home-grown theatre is your scene, a play by Atandwa Kani, Warren Nebe and Nat Ramabulana, entitled Hayani is worth watching.

Hayani, which means 'home' in Venda, is an original play reflecting on the meaning of 'home' in the South African context, and what it means to be a South African. It tells the story of two young black South African men trying to establish themselves in a country that is yet to define itself. Their journeys begin with each of them taking a trip back “home” as they weave their personal narratives and try to better understand who they are.

The play enjoyed phenomenal success when was performed previously in South Africa and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014.

There is a PG age restriction.

Tickets are available through Computicket. For specials and block booking discounts call 031 369 9596, 031 369 9540 or 031 369 9456.