Anton Marshall On stage in Cape Town
It’s a long drive out to the Old Barn. Nice angle for a story, I think, to talk about the proverbial long road for theatre in South Africa. Particularly for this group called the Barnstormers.
I’ve never seen that name at any of the major theatre venues before, so they must be a new lot. I arrive half an hour early and Jill Fletcher surprises me by appearing at my driver’s window. Exchanging pleasantries, she walks me into the old barn (it really is an old barn) and she points out the markedly quaint parts of the “theatre” we’ve just stepped into: a small but expansive stage fills the front of the enclosure, illuminated by a few suspended stage lights focused on the bed placed centrally in the back.
We decide to talk now, because rehearsals start at two, and “time is valuable”. My assumptions about this being a “new lot” get destroyed two seconds after I start the recorder. Barnstormers has been in existence for four years now, and it is very dedicated to the flourishing of South African work, or more accurately, South African writers.
While “South African” work seems nowadays to denote stories in South African settings, Jill explains that the work of South African authors need not be about South Africa.
Part of the work undertaken by Barnstormers has been to hold monthly play readings of new plays of which there is quite a collection now. Through adverts in local papers, Barnstormers have invited playwrights, prospective and otherwise, to submit works.
This has presented interesting results for the Barnstormers as well as the writers. “The authors are wide-eyed, they love it because they’re hearing their work.” Jill explains. “It’s just that one step further for them.”
Two of the actors, Walter and Karen, arrive. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked with artists who show up on time. More than that, Walter is recovering from hip surgery, and jokes that he has to be ready by the following week, as the run at the Baxter is imminent.
In an environment that doesn’t seem to have the space for luxuries like understudies, dedication is important, and it is with an even greater sense of respect that I continue the interview with all three of them. The Barnstormers felt that it was time for these plays to be given a wider viewing.
Jumping from the Old Barn to the Baxter may have been extremely difficult to do, but Rodney Phillips of the Baxter was very interested in the idea and pounced on it immediately. “It’s actually an indigenous play festival – a playwright’s festival” says Jill pointedly. I ask about the name Barnstormers. The locale connotation is obvious, but the “stormers” bit brings to mind large Irish expats whose idea of theatre resembles a rectangular box with a picture in it. “To get anywhere you have to be aggressive.” Walter gets vocal, despite his insisting that he’ll just sit and listen for now. To them it’s about taking the mainstream by storm, about stepping up to the plate with no reservations. This company has no Rex Garner, no Marius Weyers, but “look, we’re worth coming to see .” It should be noted that the Barnstormers are not amateur performers. “We all do big productions, television, and so on, but there are no central headlining names that we can push to the public and say `she’s with us’ or ` directed by him’.”
To me it seems as if the ‘Stormers are taking on themselves. There are 11 plays being performed within the space of a week. That’s a stressful schedule, made more so by the fact that many actors play in more than one. There are 10 one- acters, and one full-length play, and there is some respite in the fact that there are a few different companies involved.
Barnstormers seem to want to destroy certain notions of “South African”, institutionalized theatre. With passion, dedication, professionalism, and ethos on their side, they may just be the foundation for a turning point in drama- culture. So much for the long road .
The 11 plays performed by Barnstormers, at the Baxter studio, Rondebosch, will be performed in one week at various times. Tel:685-7880
“We decided that Barnstormers were well- represented, so we threw it open to others who had established plays – especially Afrikaans plays. (There are two).
“There is no real central idea around the choice of scripts, but there was a difficulty in finding directors. They usually wanted to do something specific, although those that eventually accepted warmed to the stories very well.” Budget? Howls of theatrical despair. A few grants here and there. “But the huge problem is the grants arrive after the festival is over. So people have been putting their money on the line in order to get there. You have to pay actors, you know.” Dedication is a good quality to have as an artist. After all, according to Rodney Phillips, we may be in danger of replicating the great “Australian Winge” – where everybody and everything is better than South Africa.
The Barnstormers believe that South African authors are not by necessity unique and self-styled. “No, writers have talent -regardless of where they’re from. They should have the ability to evolve. We are probably only unique in that it’s taken us so long to realise that we have that talent.”