PRODUCTION
Boesman and Lena 1974
A small-cast play set in the Swartkops mudflats outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern cape. The play shows the effect of apartheid on the community.
PLOT
Boesman and Lena are two Cape Coloureds in apartheid South Africa. Their home has been bulldozed to the ground and they are homeless, wandering they come to a halt on some bleak mud flats. They’re joined by a black equally homeless person, Outa. They do not speak the same language and indeed Boesman is an abusive man who beats Lena and just wants to forget their circumstances, by drinking.
However, Lena’s character is the most moving, she still searches for some understanding of their lives and for some meaning. She tries to reach out, even if it is only to Outa who cannot understand what she is saying. It’s a tragic play and it bears witness to man’s inhumanity towards others, especially in a vicious environment like apartheid South Africa, and especially if they are viewed as lower down the food chain.
PLAYWRIGHT
Athol Fugard
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director Ian Wooldridge
CAST
Sheila Mitchell, Reg Stewart, Jimi Rand
UK TOUR VENUES
Dovecot Arts Centre, Stockton on Tees, Sherman Arena, Cardiff, Arts Centre, Plymouth
PROGRAMME
