Photo Flash: Opening Night and Launch of Junkets Publication of ISYSTEM

One day after it was announced that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) may have a new boss in the shape and form of Robert McBride, Anele Rusi's play ISYSTEM lifted the lid on this important section of our police system when the play opened at the Artscape Arena.

In the play two police officers come under scrutiny from the IPID after a drugs raid goes wrong and two people are killed. What the IPID investigating officer wants to know is if their conduct during the raid was strictly according to the book or if their actions at the time might have resulted in those deaths.

Heavy issues, these. And Anele Rusi is dead-serious about them. 'I want to open discussions and start debates.' This 30-year-old writer, who currently works in the telecoms industry, looks one squarely in the eye, and goes even further. 'Through my work I want to challenge, especially, the youth to question their actions and decisions ... to reflect on the decisions they have made and the impact the play might have had on their lives.

This is Anele's first play that has gone through the careful and thorough process of the Artscape New Writing Programme and their newly named Black Playwrights' Forum. Roy Sargeant runs this programme for Artscape, and he is pleased to use the 'wisdom and expertise' of playwright/director Fatima Dike to provide 'aspiring black playwrights the unique opportunity of working one-on-one with Dike and myself to bring their plays to production standard.'

Coinciding with the opening of ISYSTEM, Junkets Publisher is publishing iSystem as the third play in its New Voices series. Robin Malan of Junkets says, 'This just goes to show how up-to-the-minute this series is! Anele's play is a pretty rigorous examination of what goes on or might go on in a state agency such as this one.'

Malan is pleased with the New Voices series. 'So far, we have published Sinethemba Twani's THE BENEFICIARY and BULLETS OVER BISHOP LAVIS, written by TV stars Christo Davids and Jody Abrahams. The thing is, it's my experience that there is a lot of really good, adventurous theatre that happens in small venues - in Studio Theatres, in converted church halls - around the city, and we don't want to lose those plays.' He smiles, with some satisfaction. 'So that's why Junkets Publisher thinks it worth publishing a series such as New Voices. We need to build up a strong library of modern, contemporary plays about modern South African people and issues.'

There are still two plays to be published in the current New Voices series: Philip Rademeyer's highly successful play THE VIEW, which was staged in the Play It Again slot of the 9th Spring Drama Season at Artscape; and then Khayelihle Dom Gumede's adaptation of the Can Themba short story CREPUSCULE. 'I'm trying hard to persuade him to change the name of the play version!' says Malan.

Bookings for performances of ISYSTEM, which runs until 30 November, are through Computicket. All of the play texts mentioned above can be ordered or pre-ordered from Junkets by emailing info.junkets@iafrica.com. Visit the Junkets website at www.junkets.co.za.

Anele Rusi, writer of iSystem, in animated conversation at Artscape Arena

Director Fatima Dike (left) and Anele Rusi (right) show Anele's new book, iSystem, to members of the audience at Artscape Arena

Fatima Dike, director of Anele Rusi's iSystem, at Artscape Arena

ISYSTEM Logo

Junkets Publisher Robin Malan (left) presents Anele Rusi with his book iSystem,while Director Fatima Dike (right) looks on at Artscape Arena

The Black Playwrights' Forum with Author of iSystem Anele Rusi (left), Roy Sargeant (middle) and Fatima Dike (right) at Artscape Arena

Three of the New Voices playwrights fr.l.to r. Anele Rusi Philip Rademeyer Sinethemba Twani

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