HW+South+African+Theatre

In the Theatrical Worlds textbook, South African theatre is only barely mentioned in this chapter, but the subject of apartheid caught my eye and caused me to research more on this type of theatre. The text mentioned a South African playwright named Athol Fugard, who's work "revealed the pain of institutionalized apartheid" and focused on the harsh realities of social, economic, and racial dynamics. Most history of South African culture is told through performance rather than literature. There is a need for a wider and more flexible concept of theatre that includes the products of oral/kinetic or "performance" culture. The context of these performances portrays the rich and varied culture of the South African people. The country has a long and intriguing history of storytelling, staring from oral narratives and dances of the Sam, to the fables told by the indigineous South African peoples, to the modern and youthful productions today. South African theatre and its traditions date all the way back to the 1830's. However, thir type of theatre became a distinguished title of its own during apartheid years due to the cultural boycott of American and British actors. Without any external foreign restraints and influences, South African theatre thrived with its own unique and local feel. During the 1970's and 1980's, protest theatre became very prominent. Many playwrights and actors began to use theatre to challenge the apartheid system and question racial attitudes at the time. Many mainstream performance venues such as The National Theatre did not allow blacks to use their stages. The Market Theatre in Johannesburg and The Space in Cape Town were established to give black performers a stage and a multi-racial audience.



https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/jun/20/acting-against-apartheid-south-african-protest-theatre

http://wiki.lib.sun.ac.za/images/8/8c/Hauptfleisch_majortrends_2007.pdf