Bringing theatre to your backyard
The aim of Theatre in the Backyard is to bring community audiences and local performers together in an intimate and unique experience of art and culture
eMalahleni is one of the places in the province that is being targeted for Theatre in the Backyard performances.
Founder of Nyathela Works, Moses Mashioanoke has established a partnership with Theatre in the Backyard working with Mhlanguli George, the concept originator of Theatre in the Backyard.
These theatre performers are getting the opportunity to be introduced to a new model of theatre and working in non-theatrical spaces such as in people’s backyards.
The aim of Theatre in the Backyard is to bring community audiences and local performers together in an intimate and unique experience of art and culture in the backyard of a local dwelling.
Private and personal spaces are used to deconstruct township life. Moses Mashioanoke is currently working with four productions in one month in different surroundings of the township in developing and shaping them and gives professional direction; these productions are working closely with Mhlanguli George to be performed in Theatre in the Backyard over three days from February 26 to 28.
The productions are ‘Azania was my woman’, ‘Woman & the Shadow’, ‘Ilijwa’ (The Curse) and ‘Iphepha’ (The Articles).
These productions will be performed in different backyards in different locations in eMalahleni at Lynnville, Ezinambeni at Phase 4 and Secunda at Embalenhle.
Synopsis of the plays: ‘Azania was my woman’: An ex-soldier is having a hard time coming to terms with the loss of his beloved.
He is distressed and borders between sanity and insanity.
What aggravates him is that he is forced to move from his own land, it is not well with him, the current state of things.
He feels robbed and unappreciated especially for what he did for the country.
‘Ilijwa’ (The Curse): The pursuit for dehumanization raises questions about human behaviour.
This reflects how easy it has become to demonise someone without even noticing.
We are slowly moving out of ourselves tracing the footsteps of our forefathers and throws questions to our inheritance, which is debts, hatred, emotional absence, and curses due to one’s identity.
‘Woman & the shadow’: Sometimes we disconnect our self to ourselves; we tend to ignore some other chapters in our lives.
Woman and the shadow is a piece about a woman who deals with her inner self.
‘Iphepha’ (The Articles): The two protagonists recount all the recent stories they find in the newspaper through flashbacks, words, dance, songs, and creativity.
These two male protagonists bring to the stage the combination of satire, experimental and physical theatre, and passion for portraying the current stories that are happening during this lockdown.
This project is supported by Goethe Institute in Johannesburg (GPS) that support programmes for South Africa, ranging from workshops to exhibitions, events and performances in any discipline including visual arts film, music or combinations of afore-mentioned forms.
All Covid-19 protocols will be observed during performances.
For directions and bookings: info@nyathelaworks.co.za or call 078 709 8700.
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