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Mail & Guardian

Theatre Review

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Emotional texture: Zilungile Mbombo, Mfuneli Ntumbuka and Alex Sono. The script is sharp, witty and moving. Photos: Fiona MacPherson
FEESMUSTFALL

‘Rise ’76’ confronts a generation haunted by how little it has done with its inherited freedom

A powerful and emotionally layered theatrical work revisits the 1976 Soweto Uprising through testimony, memory, contradiction and unresolved generational grief

  • Unathi Kondile
5 min read
Spectacular: The Lion King production in London recently won the best musical production in the Black British Theatre Awards and boasts a crew of over 150 people, which includes many South African actors such as Thenjiwe Nofemele (above) who plays the role of Rafiki. Photo: Supplied
AFRICAN CULTURE

South African stars roar in London

From the opening Circle of Life to the final roar, South African performers make every moment of The Lion King resonate deeply

  • Aarti Bhana
9 min read
Setting the scene: Dancers, choreographed by Luyanda Sidiya, in Dancing the Death Drill. Photos: Joburg Theatre
AFRICAN DIASPORA

Dancing the Death Drill: A Resurrection of forgotten spirits

Dancing the Death Drill is more than theatre — it is a resurrection, a requiem and a haunting reminder of forgotten African history

  • Rolland Simpi Motaung
5 min read
In from the cold: A scene from Bitter Winter, Paul Slabolepszy’s new play, which is on at the Baxter in Cape Town. Photos: RegardsVisser
ACTING MENTORSHIP

Bitter Winter: the show will go on but what of the people in it?

An old actor, a young upstart, and a kettle on the fritz — Bitter Winter turns the ordinary into something unforgettable

  • Keith Bain
8 min read