Cape Town theatre enthusiasts are in for a treat this September as the stage adaptation of Damon Galgut’s Booker Prize-winning novel, The Promise, makes its world premiere in the Mother City.
Directed by internationally acclaimed director Sylvaine Strike, the production promises to be one of the most thrilling theatre highlights of the year.
The Promise boasts a star-studded South African cast, including Rob van Vuuren, Kate Normington, Frank Opperman, Chuma Sopotela, Cintaine Schutte, Jenny Stead, Albert Pretorius, Sanda Shandu and Jane de Wet.
The creative team is just as impressive, with sound design and original music composition by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, set and lighting design by Josh Lindberg, costume design by Penny Simpson and choreography by Natalie Fisher.
The Promise is a seminal family drama that explores the lives of the Swart family, a typical group of white South Africans living on a farm outside Pretoria.
They have promised to give a small piece of land with a tiny house on it to Salome, the Sotho woman who has worked for them her whole life.
The property is worthless, but they refuse to give it up. As members of the family die one by one, the Swarts try to stay the same, facing each other over a great divide.
In a discussion process spanning almost two years, Galgut and Strike have identified a visual language through which this powerful story will unfold, supported by a uniquely chorus-driven narration.
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According to News24, Strike describes the workshop week as an extraordinary process of discovery with the author, cast and creative team, who were ‘absolutely formidable.’
The production promises to be funny, confrontational and powerful, speaking to audiences in the most intimate way possible.
The Homecoming Centre, located on the edge of District Six and home to the District Six Museum, acts as the perfect symbolic venue for a work dealing with South African issues.
The Promise will run at the Star Theatre (formerly The Fugard Theatre) from 14 September to 6 October.
The Promise is only the third South African novel to be awarded the prestigious Booker Prize, which Galgut won in 2021. The stage adaptation promises to give the novel a whole new life, and audiences are sure to be enthralled by this powerful production.
Details:
- Location: The Star Theatre, The Homecoming Centre, District Six
- Dates: 14 September to 6 October
- Times: 3pm and 8pm
- Cost: R200 to R250
- Tickets: webtickets.co.za
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Picture: Penguin Books
