Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 01/08/2015
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center starts the New Year with an international co-production of Sizwe Banzi is Dead, the landmark creative collaboration from South African artists Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona. First staged in 1972, Sizwe Banzi is Dead dominated the theatre landscape both at home and around the world, bringing international attention to the horrors and injustices inherent in South Africa's apartheid system. The Broadway run of Sizwe garnered Tony Awards® for both Mr. Kani and Mr. Ntshona in 1975, co-winners for Best Actor in a Play. McCarter's production runs from January 16 to February 15 on McCarter's Berlind Stage.
Sizwe Banzi is Dead, set in a humble photography studio in South Africa, follows Sizwe Banzi's quest for survival. Having been caught without proper paperwork, he must either return to an uncertain future in his poverty-stricken hometown or travel a risky and dangerous path searching for a brighter future. What follows is a story ricocheting between comedy and despair amid homespun humor and bureaucratic absurdity.
According to director and co-creator John Kani, "The passbook was the tool the Apartheid Regime used to control the movements of Black people in South Africa. (For us), it all began with the photograph of a man with a pipe and a cigarette in his mouth. The question was asked - ‘Why would a respectable man walk into a photographic studio to take a picture like that?' The answer was very simple… he has got his passbook in order."
Forty years after its U.S. premiere, Sizwe Banzi is returning in a new incarnation, featuring Atandwa Kani (son of co-creator John Kani) and Mncedisi Shabangu - a new generation of South African talent. Directed by Mr. Kani himself, Sizwe Banzi is Dead retains it relevancy for 21st century audiences. Called "a triumph" and "riveting" by The Times (South Africa), Sizwe Banzi continues to shine a light on the fragile state of the human condition in the modern world and the true cost of maintaining personal identity amid oppression.
On the collaboration among McCarter, Market, and Syracuse Stage, McCarter Artistic Director Emily Mann notes: "Not long after the passing of Nelson Mandela in December of 2013, I learned that my friends at the esteemed Market Theatre were planning to remount the iconic Sizwe Banzi is Dead with one of the originators—John Kani—at the helm and featuring two of the most promising young actors in South Africa. The timeliness of this revival struck me immediately, and I leaped at the opportunity to partner with Syracuse Stage to bring the production to the United States and to share this important and joyous story with the McCarter audience.
The production's scenic elements are derived from the original production, focusing on what made "Township Theatre" such a revolutionary concept – hints of modular scenery and spare (yet stark) visuals aimed at heightening the connection between the actors and the audience. The production features performances from Atandwa Kani (Styles/Buntu) and Mncedisi Shabangu (Sizwe Banzi), two actors with a host of impressive stage and film credits at home and abroad. The production is directed by John Kani, with a lighting design by Market Theatre co-founder Mannie Manim.
About The Market Theatre
Johannesburg's Market Theatre's history is intertwined with the cultural, social and political struggle for freedom in South Africa. Founded in Johannesburg in 1976 by Mannie Manim and the late Barney Simon, the theatre itself was constructed out of Johannesburg's Indian Fruit Market - built in 1913. The theatre went on to become internationally renowned as South Africa's "Theatre of the Struggle". The Market Theatre challenged the apartheid regime, armed with little more than the conviction that culture can change society. The strength and truth of that conviction was acknowledged in 1995 when the theatre received the American Jujamcyn Award. In providing a voice to the voiceless, The Market Theatre did not forego artistic excellence, but, rather, made a point of it. Its twenty-one international and over three hundred South African theatre awards bears eloquent testimony to the courage and artistic quality of its work. During the past three decades, The Market Theatre has evolved into a cultural complex for theatre, music, dance and the allied arts. Today, The Market Theatre remains at the forefront of South African theatre, actively encouraging new works that continue to reach international stages. http://markettheatre.co.za/
About McCarter Theatre Center
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Emily Mann and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, McCarter Theatre Center is recognized as one of the nation's premier theater companies. Renowned for major contributions to the theatrical canon, McCarter premieres include Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (winner of the 2013 Tony Award® for Best Play) and Miss Witherspoon (both commissions); Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays; Will Power's Fetch Clay, Make Man (commission); Edward Albee's Me, Myself & I (commission); Emily Mann's Having Our Say; Danai Gurira's The Convert; Beth Henley's Ridiculous Fraud (commission); Regina Taylor's Crowns (commission); Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman (commission); Athol Fugard's Valley Song; and Stephen Wadsworth's Marivaux trilogy. McCarter has also produced major new productions of Brian Friel's Translations, directed by Garry Hynes; Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics and Edward Albee's All Over, directed by Emily Mann; and Electra, directed by David Leveaux. McCarter is supported by Princeton University, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and over 3,000 individuals, corporations, and foundations. McCarter Theatre is located at 91 University Place in Princeton, NJ. For more information, www.mccarter.org.
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