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July 24, 2015

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Trio of Fugard plays brought to local stage

STARTING this September, three plays by famed South African writer Athol Fugard will be given new life under local theater director Chen Wencong. “My Children! My Africa,” “The Island” and “The Train Driver” will be making their Chinese debuts at the outdoor stage of Shanghai Culture Square. The shows are slated to mark the grand opening of the World Theater Masters Series.

“Fugard is the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world, and he is also one of my favorite playwrights,” says Chen.

Fugard is also one of the most-performed playwrights in the world. Born in 1932, Fugard’s works span the period of apartheid in South Africa (imposed in 1948); through the first democratic elections (April 27, 1994), when Nelson Mandela became president; and into the present day.

According to Chen, the three plays, which will be presented in English with Chinese subtitles, represent three eras.

A Tony Award winner, “The Island” was first performed in Cape Town in July 1973. The apartheid-era drama inspired by a true story is set in an unnamed prison clearly based on South Africa’s notorious Robben Island, where Mandela was held for 27 years.

The play focuses on two cell mates, one whose successful appeal means he will soon be released and one who must remain in prison for many years to come. They spend their days at physical labor while by night they rehearse for a performance of Sophocles’ “Antigone” in front of the other prisoners.

“My Children! My Africa” is set in segregated South Africa in 1985. The play focuses on Mr M, a black teacher, his black student, Thami, and a white student named Isabel.

“The Train Driver” is a more recent work, first staged at the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town in March 2010. The play focuses on two men, one black and one white. Roelf is the driver of the title, a character described as “one of those guys that if his hands is busy, he’s happy.”

Roelf is traumatized though after being at the wheel of an engine that struck a black woman with a baby in her arms. Their eyes locked as he ran her down, unable to brake in time.

Fugard has written more than 30 plays, four books and several screenplays. Many of his works have been turned into films. “Tsotsi,” based on his 1980 novel, won the 2005 Academy Award for best foreign language film.

“In his 80s, Fugard continues to direct and write plays now. But it’s a pity that he is not well-known in China,” Chen says. “Audiences on China’s mainland are more familiar with theater works from the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea. I hope Chinese audiences can learn about this world-class master through these shows.”

Raised in Shanghai and educated in the US and Europe, Chen has an international cultural background. He graduated from Emory University in the US in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in theater studies. He also received the university’s prestigious Louis Sudler Prize in The Arts.

Chen founded his own theater company in 2014. To date, it is the only international theater troupe operated in China by a Chinese director. Chen has cooperated with international artists from Britain, the US and India. Many of his plays feature cultural crossover, mixing Chinese traditional opera, modern dance and African drumming.

In 2014, Chen wrote, directed and produced a full-length play “Blind,” based on the Indian epic Mahabharata. As one of the first-ever theatrical collaborations between young Indian and Chinese artists, the play was included in the program of the 2014 Shanghai International Arts Festival.

The performers in the upcoming three shows in Shanghai are from China, South Africa, Benin, Pakistan, Nigeria and Britain.

“South Africa, the home of Fugard ... can be found in his theater works. I will present this feature in the plays and hope to attract audiences who are interested in multi-cultural and crossover arts,” director Chen says.

 

• “My Children! My Africa”

Date: September 8-13, 7:30pm

• “The Island”

Date: September 22-27, 7:30pm

• “The Train Driver”

Date: October 9-11, 7:30pm

 

Venue: Shanghai Culture Square, 597 Fuxing Rd M.

Tickets: 180 yuan

For more information, check www.shculturesquare.com.




 

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