Anyone who loved forcing their family to watch them perform as a child will remember the thrill of organic performance at home. The said forced family members might also crack a smile at the memory of watching their performers flourish.
As someone who has been in both categories, I can attest to the excitement of both, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Ashleigh Nefdt.
When we think of theatre as adults, we think of a more niché culture. Polished stages and a repertoire of props. However, the Director of Theatre in the Backyard, Mhlanguli George, sees things differently.
For over a decade, he’s been staging plays in people’s backyards, an initiative that has taken away from the seriousness of Cape Town’s theatre culture, in his words. There’s an organic feel to what he presents, that reminds one of the raw thrill of putting on a performance for your family at home once ensued- except with far more crafted talents and an Afrocentric focused storytelling.
According to George, it’s a concept of theatre that’s been reimagined for accessibility and an immersive context, as The Daily Vox writes.
Shakespeare of the garden, George’s love for theatre started when he was in grade 9 in the Eastern Cape initially. He would go on to combine this passion with community development, where he would go on to train children in theatre after school.
Now, he is an Nyanga-based artist, as per GroundUp, on a decade-long mission to bring theatre to the people.
In terms of using township gardens as stages, the idea stemmed from an artistic curiosity to find out what happens in people’s backyards. Additionally, it would create a space for non-theatre-going folk, whereby they could take a peak into the world of theatrics.
And it’s a stage people are a part of too, as performers and the audience share the same space.
How does Theatre in the Backyard work?
People’s backyards in townships are used for the productions. A group of actors perform with any available props in continuation of the organic feel.
“I started this so people in communities can access theatre,” George expresses.
“There is no stage, there is no auditorium – we create pieces that resonate with communities.”
Throughout the years, he has teamed up with the likes of Coffebeans Routes. Of the mentality of production in a garden, the then director of Coffeebeans Routes, Iain Harris expressed that:
“So much of our collective narrative is already forged in backyards, so why not our theatre? … It seeks small audiences, non-theatre spaces, and non-traditional theatre audiences. It’s close to home, where the established theatres are far from everybody. It doesn’t need lights or sound. It can travel anywhere. And it can have a huge impact.”
During the days when tourism flourished, the initiative was also a unique tourist attraction, as per Coffebeans Routes, offering a unique experience where guests could explore theatre and township culture, as well as a Xhosa culinary journey simultaneously.
George is painting theatre in a new light in Cape Town, from the rawness of community, truly breaking the fourth wall by bringing his stories into people’s worlds.
Picture:isabelleroux.co.za
