New Louis Viljoen Drama THE EMISSARY to Play the Alexander Bar's Upstairs Theatre

A new drama from Louis Viljoen will open at the Alexander Bar's Upstairs Theatre tonight. THE EMISSARY will star Emily Child and Andrew Laubscher, with performances of the 55-minute play taking place through 16 July.

A dark study of a friendship rooted in a lie, THE EMISSARY begins with Delia waiting for her long-term boyfriend to return from an extended stay overseas. She agrees to meet Douglas, her boyfriend's best friend, in order to discuss the tensions that have been brewing between them since the beginning of their relationship. But one of them is hiding something terrible and this is a night when old wounds resurface and secrets are unearthed. What follows is an unnerving examination of two troubled people who think they know each other, but have no idea what awful things can lurk in the soul.

Cape Town-based writer and director Louis Viljoen has written and produced numerous plays including THE BILE BOYS, THE FRONTIERSMEN, THE VERBALISTS, CHAMP, PORNO 88, THE KINGMAKERS and THE PERVERT LAURA. He is one of the creators, along with playwrights Nicholas Spagnoletti and Jon Keevy, of the successful short-play "Anthology" initiative, which has had three successful seasons at the Alexander Bar's Upstairs Theatre. Viljoen has twice won the Fleur Du Cap Theatre Award for Best New South African Script, for CHAMP in 2013 and THE KINGMAKERS in 2015. He was also the recipient of the Rosalie van Der Gucht Prize for New Directors for THE KINGMAKERS and THE PERVERT LAURA. Viljoen is currently the Writer In Residence for The Fugard Theatre.

Emily Child graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2007 with a Theatre and Performance Degree, specializing in Acting. Since then she has worked independently and as a proud member of acclaimed Cape Town-based theatre troupe, The Mechanicals. Her work has garnered her numerous awards and nominations including the 2015 Fleur Du Cap Theatre Award for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Play for THE PERVERT LAURA. Other Theatre Projects include LEAR, CHAMP, URBAN DEATH, A CERTAIN LADY, BORN IN THE RSA and CONTRACTIONS. On camera, Child's projects include the SAFTA winning series pilot, ARMED RESPONSE and the BBC's youth series, YOUNG LEONARDO, as well as the feature films SHIRLEY ADAMS, directed by Oliver Hermanus and BEYOND THE RIVER, directed by Craig Freimond

Andrew Laubscher is a Cape Town-based film and theatre actor. Some theatre highlights include Mike van Graan's MIRROR MIRROR, directed by Geoffrey Hyland; AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Geoffrey Hyland, COSI, directed by Scott Sparrow; ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, directed by Marthinus Basson; A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, directed by Guy de Lancey; LOVBORG'S WOMEN, directed by Chris Weare; MAFEKING ROAD, directed by Tara Notcutt; A COMEDY OF ERRORS, directed by Matthew Wild; and BALBESIT, directed by Jaco Bouwer. Having earned a Fleur Du Cap Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Play for LOVBORG'S WOMEN, Laubscher won the 2014 Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance as Riff-Raff in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. His most recent work includes ANTHOLOGY: ANTI-MATTER, directed by Louis Viljoen, and the South African feature film, MODDER EN BLOED.

Tickets for THE EMISSARY cost R90-R100 and can be booked online at the Alexander Bar website or purchased at the bar. For telephone bookings and enquiries, call 021 300 1652. 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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