The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary South African Theatre

by Middeke, Martin; Schnierer, Peter Paul; Middeke, Martin; Schnierer, Peter Paul; Homann, Greg; Middeke, Martin; Schnierer, Peter Paul

• ISBN13: 9781408176696
• ISBN10: 1408176696
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-11-19
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama

Summary

South Africa has a uniquely rich and diverse theatre tradition which has responded energetically to the country's remarkable transition, helping to define the challenges and contradictions of this young democracy. This volume considers the variety of theatre forms, and the work of the major playwrights and theatre makers producing work in democratic South Africa. It offers an overview of theatre pioneers and theatre forms in Part One, before concentrating on the work of individual playwrights in Part Two. Through its wide-ranging survey of indigenous drama written predominantly in the English language and the analysis of more than 100 plays, a detailed account is provided of post-apartheid South African theatre and its engagement with the country's recent history.

Part One offers six overview chapters on South African theatre pioneers and theatre forms. These include consideration of the work of artists such as Barney Simon, Mbongeni Ngema, Phyllis Klotz; the collaborations of William Kentridge and the Handspring Puppet Company; the work of Magnet Theatre, and of physical and popular community theatre forms.

Part Two features chapters on twelve major playwrights, including Athol Fugard, Reza de Wet, Lara Foot, Zakes Mda, Yaël Farber, Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom, Mike van Graan and Brett Bailey. It includes a survey of emerging playwrights and significant plays, and the book closes with an interview with Aubrey Sekhabi, the Artistic Director of the South African State Theatre in Pretoria.

Written by a team of over twenty leading international scholars, The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary South African Theatre is a unique resource that will be invaluable to students and scholars from a range of different disciplines, as well as theatre practitioners.

Author Biography

Greg Homann is Head of Performance at AFDA, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Martin Middeke is Professor and Chair of English Literature at the University of Augsburg, Germany and Visiting Professor of English at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Peter Paul Schnierer is Professor and Chair of English Literature at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Table of Contents

PART I
INTRODUCTION

Greg Homman (AFDA, Johannesburg, South Africa), Martin Middeke (University of Augsburg, Germany and University of Johannesburg, South Africa), Peter Paul Schnierer (University of Heidelberg, Germany)

PART TWO:
1. The Pioneers (Sarah Roberts, (University of the Witwatersrand, S.A.)
2. Contemporary Collaborators I: Handspring, Kentridge (Jane Taylor, University of the Western Cape, S.A.)
3. Contemporary Collaborators II: Magnet Theatre (Yvette Hutchison, University of Warwick, UK)
4. Physical-Theatre (Robyn Sassen, Johannesburg, S.A.)
5. Theatre-Makers in one-person format (Veronica Baxter, UCT, S.A.)
6. Popular Melodrama (Andy Carolin, University of Johannesburg, S.A.)
7. Drama at South African Festivals (Ismail Mahomed, Grahamstown, Festival Director of the National Arts Festival, S.A.)

PART THREE
1. Athol Fugard (Dennis Walder, Open University, UK)
2. Reza de Wet (Anton Krueger, University of Pretoria, S.A.)
3. Paul Slabolepszy (Adrienne Sichel, Johannesburg, S.A.)
4. Zakes Mda (Kene Igweonu, University of Canterbury, UK)
5. Lara Foot (Loren Kruger, University of Chicago, USA)
6. Mike van Graan (Brent Meersman, Capetown, S.A.)
7. Craig Higginson (Michael Titlestad, University of the Witwatersrand, S.A.)
8. Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom (Muff Anderson, UNISA, S.A.)
9. Brett Bailey (Kevin Wetmore, UCLA, USA)
10. Pieter-Dirk Uys (Mervyn McMurtry, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, S.A.)
11. Fatima Dike (Miki Flockeman, UWC/Rolf Solberg, Capetown, S.A.)
12. Yael Farber (Marcia Blumberg, York University, Canada)
13. Aubrey Sekhabi (Otsile Ntsoane, University of Pretoria, S.A.)
14. Greig Coetzee (Hazel Barnes)
15. Emerging Playwrights and Significant Plays (Greg Homann, AFDA, S.A.)

PART FOUR
Additional material
INDEX