Rust Co-Operative's Revised ASHES Production at Alexander Bar And Cafe Upstairs Theatre This June

The Alexander Bar and Café will host the award-winning Rust Co-Operative's ASHES in its Upstairs Theatre this June. Written and directed by Philip Rademeyer, the hour-long play is performed by exciting talents and rising stars, Stefan Erasmus and Jason Jacobs.

ASHES is a hard-hitting two-hander chronicling the life of a young gay man through the eyes of six characters. It explores his small-town upbringing, his entrance into adulthood and the excitement and thrill of first love. A sudden, violent event ruptures the world of the characters, forcing them to pick up the pieces in the void that remains. Inspired by actual events, ASHES examines family, love, and the scourge of violence against gay lives in our country.

The impetus for ASHES is the ongoing violence against gays and lesbians in South Africa, specifically three excessively violent attacks on young gay men in the Western and Northern Cape in 2014, which mostly remained unreported in the mainstream media. In one particular instance. an assailant called over a group of teenagers to watch as he was 'going to kill a moffie.' In ASHES, the Rademeyer examines systemic homophobia and the scourge of violence against young gay lives, deftly exploring the thin line between the personal and the political. An intimate theatrical piece, ASHES serves as a reminder that individual lives are not isolated events but part of the social fabric, intricately woven up with and into other lives.

Rademeyer and his Rust Co-operative co-founder, Penelope Youngleson, are a dynamic theatre-making team, the creators of award-winning works such as THE VIEW (winner of two awards at International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, nominated for three Fleur du Cap Awards), SIEMBAMBA (Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award, played at Amsterdam Fringe Festival) and EXPECTANT (Standard Bank Ovation Award, played at Afrovibes Festival).

ASHES runs from 4-20 June at the Alexander Upstairs Theatre. Tickets cost R90 (R80 if paid in advance) and can be booked online at the Alexander Bar website or purchased in person at the bar at any time during its regular opening hours. Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Alexander Bar & Café is situated at 76 Strand Street in the Cape Town city centre and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

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