NEW VOICES At Artscape Unearth Hidden Stories

Hidden voices will be heard while stories from the past will come to life when Artscape Theatre Centre showcases this year's New Voices Programme from 03 - 28 October 2017 at the Artscape Arena.

The three productions (Imbewu, Night and Day and Once Upon a Nation) on the bill, were selected from scripts, concepts and synopses submitted by individual artists, theatre makers, directors and storytellers from across the country.

Imbewu, written by Sinethemba Twani and directed by the legendary Fatima Dike is the "New Voice" to hit the stage from 03 - 07 October. In this family drama, a father is on a mission to get a second son and successor for the family business. This comes at a cost to other family members, leaving empty spaces that need to be filled. The answers to his question lie deep within the family secrets, that will change his life for better or worse while challenging his beliefs.

The second production, Night and Day is a story about Vincent - once an honest man who had never wronged anyone, he now finds himself in prison through a series of unexpected circumstances. Did these circumstances warrant his imprisonment? Did he commit the crime that put him behind bars with good reason? One morning he awakes and decides that he wants to write a book. In this process he gives us insight into his dark past that led to his imprisonment. He also "befriends" his prison warden, thus starting a male-to-male emotional journey that examines some interesting questions. The show, written by Khayalethu Anthony and directed by Khayalethu Mofu will be staged from 10 - 14 October.

Wrapping up this year's programme will be, Once Upon a Nation, written by Lindsay Abrahams and directed by Lee-Ann Van Rooi. Characters in this fairytale-esque production share the same Democracy but find themselves living worlds apart. Or do they really? A sneak peek into their lives, finds the various realities that we as common people deal with - just how unique are our different cultural climates, really? As these everyday realities are being paralleled with those of fictional characters that we know very well, it leaves us questioning the line between reality and fantasy: are we ignorant and delusional to the dangers of our reality? Do we just accept our given fate as part of the circle of life? Or will we decide to wake up and rebel against the fantasy written for us by those in power? The play uses skit-comedy, parody and story-telling devices to portray the various ways in which this nation, once destined for greatness, has lost the plot, and that many people's lives have not REALLY changed more than 20 years into our Democracy. The show is slated from 24 - 28 October.

New Voices is guided by the spirit of rectifying societal harms and inclusiveness in the arts and seeks to give voice to new theatre makers, directors, choreographers, scriptwriters and creative expression. It is led by Artscape's vision of redressing past illnesses through a multi-cultural, interdisciplinary and diverse aesthetic that embraces the totality of our society.

Tickets for all productions (R40 for scholars, R45 for pensioners, students and block bookings of 10 or more and R50 for the general public) are available via Computicket or Artscape-Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7695.

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