World Premiere of Hungry Minds Theatre's PEOPLE BENEATH OUR FEET at National Arts Festival

Hungry Minds Theatre returns to the National Arts Festival in 2016 with the premiere of PEOPLE BENEATH OUR FEET, a new South African play by Katya Mendelson and Kiroshan Naidoo.

PEOPLE BENEATH OUR FEET investigates the role of the oppressor and the oppressed, explores the values and morals of the individual, and the notion of hanging on to restrictive gender ideals in a chaotic and nonsensical environment.

Beneath the sound of marching boots of a destructive force, four people, the fragments of a large family, hide in a small, bare space. The youngest, Sidi, attributes the terrifying noises coming from the above world to demons, while Tova, Aya and Isa identify them as the sounds of an all-too-human war. Aya encourages her grandson, Sidi, to escape their reality through memory and fantasy, while Sidi's elder brother, Isa, remains determined to salvage what is left of his family. Meanwhile, Tova, an injured veteran of the fighting that Aya and Isa have only glimpsed, threatens to disrupt the family's once-strong relationships and firmly held notions. What aspects of humanity does one preserve when made to live like one is not human? They must decide what matters, and what must be let go in order to live.

The cast of PEOPLE BENEATH OUR FEET includes Kiroshan Naidoo (PEOPLE ARE LIVING THERE), Ameera Conrad (DOCTOR GODENSTEIN'S MAN), Kathleen Stephens (UHM...) and Roberto Kyle (WOUNDS TO THE FACE). The production is directed by Blythe Stuart Linger and co-directed by Katya Mendelson. The production features costumes design and construction by Gail Stacy, with wardrobe assistance from Olivia Galley.

PEOPLE BENEATH OUR FEET has five performances at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, where it will be staged at Glennie Hall: 2 July at 10:00, 3 July at 19:00, 4 July at 14:30, 5 July at 17:30 and 7 July at 21:30. Tickets cost R60 and can be booked online at the National Arts Festival website, by calling the box office on 0860 002 004, or at any box office stand in Grahamstown during the festival.