A HOWL IN MAKHANDA. Written and directed by Qondiswa James. With Kim Adonis, Yamkela Ntendiyo, Amé Strydom, Megan Theron and Zukisani Nongogo. The Magnet Theatre.
MEGAN FURNISS reviews
I have just come back from my first piece of theatre for the year, A Howl in Makhanda, and it has filled me with inspiration for what theatre can do; which is shift the hearts and minds of an audience, by bringing issues onto stage through word and image and character and sound and lights. The feeling is both ephemeral and lasting, haunting and vital. Theatre, and plays, perform miracles, sometimes subtly and subliminally, sometimes loudly and boldly, sometimes unexpectedly, and sometimes in all the ways.
A Howl in Makhanda is called semi-autobiographical. It is about four teenage schoolgirls at an elite all girls boarding school, two black, two white, and it examines their fears, passions, daily grinds, as well as their different and colliding backgrounds through the lens of racism. It is about boys, eating disorders, pregnancy, depression, smoking, studying, friends and fights, dreams and nightmares. Ultimately it is a piece that puts young girls in the spotlight and highlights the extremes of the racial divide by how children are treated differently depending on their race.
A fluidity that feels organic
There is a linear repetition to the shape and form of this piece, reflected in the chalk marks on the floor, the simple set design, the repetitive and stylised movement sequences, and the taking off and putting on of costumes – school uniforms. The text is mundane and naturalistic in parts, highly stylised and poetic in others, and borrowed from other writers too, like Sylvia Plath and Allan Ginsberg. This script is layered and dynamic, moving between issue and emotion, character and style with a fluidity that feels organic, like waves, or seasons.
The performances are interesting and nuanced, making the characters relatable and complex, making these schoolgirls, all South African schoolgirls, visible and important and heart breaking. Making them particular, and general. Making them hold the world we have made, whether they want to or not, whether they can or not.
I was profoundly moved by this piece, and found it surprisingly complete, even though it was sold as a work that was still in development. The writing is strong and sure, the direction clear and sensitive and the performances moving and interesting.
This is original, challenging, exciting new South African theatre. On your doorstep. Made for you. Go. Go and see it, experience it. Feel it.
What: A Howl in Makhanda
Where and when: Magnet Theatre, Observatory on 20 to 25 January and 27 to 29 January 2020
Book: Webtickets
WS
