Theatre Survey

Theatre Survey

In his analysis of Grieg Coetzee's 2002 play Happy Natives (about two actors--one black, the other white--who are commissioned to create a corporate theatre piece about the New South Africa), Krueger examines the "ironies of the nebulous term heritage" (129; italics his) and the shift...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theatre survey 2012-04, Vol.53 (1), p.151
Main Authors: Lewis, Megan, Krueger, Anton, Peimer, David
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Apartheid
Cultural heritage
Cultural identity
Democracy
Drama
Dramatists
Foot
Fugard, Athol
Gender
Metaphor
Motion pictures
Race
Racial identity
Rape
Self concept
South African literature
Theater
Violence
Visual artists
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Summary:In his analysis of Grieg Coetzee's 2002 play Happy Natives (about two actors--one black, the other white--who are commissioned to create a corporate theatre piece about the New South Africa), Krueger examines the "ironies of the nebulous term heritage" (129; italics his) and the shifting affiliations the characters experience between fixed and fluid definitions of themselves as individuals and as members of various ethnic groups. Experiments in Freedom covers an extraordinary breadth of material and is a valuable engagement with the complexities of gender, ethnic, and racial identity affiliations in its study of post-1994 South African drama and theatre. in Part VII, "Conclusions," Krueger offers the image of the rhizome--its roots sprouting in "every conceivable direction" (213)--as the metaphor for theatre in the new South African democracy. Included in the collection are Reach! (2007) by writer-director Lara Foot Newton; Some Mothers' Sons (2005) by playwright, arts advocate, and cultural critic Mike van Graan; Shwele Bawo! (2004) by award-winning actress and playwright Motshabi Tyelele; and Dream of the Dog (2007) by Market Theatre dramaturge Craig Higginson. According to Homann, all four plays "reflect the challenges and questions South Africans are currently confronted with as we advance towards the dream outlined in our Constitution" (29), and they represent some of the important voices being articulated in contemporary South African theatre.
ISSN:0040-5574
1475-4533