The Children and the Bees was first performed as a companion piece to the opera Brundibár in July.
The latter was written by Czech composer Hans Krása and was performed 55 times in the Nazi ghetto of Terezín before he and many of the children in the cast were transported to the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Magnet Theatre was approached by the Cape Town Holocaust Centre to create this companion play. Initially performed by a cast of 28, many of whom were high-school pupils, the play has been reworked by full-time trainees. Based on similar themes to the opera, Mark Fleishman, Frances Marek, Alex Halligey and Faniswa Yisa use South African storytelling traditions to explore the themes of displacement, migration and refugees. The play draws on the testimonies of child survivors from across the world: from the Holocaust in Europe to the Rwandan genocide, and from Nigeria to Burundi, South Africa and Australia.
The Magnet Theatre, corner of St Michaels and Lower Main roads, Observatory. From August 16 to 21. Tel: 021 448 3436. Website: www.webtickets.co.za.