This review is part of the LitNet | STAND theatre review workshop. The ten participants each submit a review to the workshop mentors for feedback. The participants will then be able to edit their submissions, receive additional feedback from the mentors and finalise their reviews.
This is the first version of Kwanele Nyembe’s review.
Around the fire
Written by Siphokazi Jonas
Directed by Nolan Africa
Performed by Siphokazi Jonas
The multi-talented, award-winning director, performer and playwright Siphokazi Jonas reignites her trailblazing production Around the fire, directed by Nolan Africa, at the Artscape 2018. Though she has other writings with similar themes, such as #WeAreDyingHere, what sets this show apart from most we have seen, is how Ms Jonas has been able to reimagine what Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem “For colored girls who have considered suicide / When the rainbow is enuf” would look like within the context of South African theatre.
When the show was first staged in 2016, I was privileged enough to be granted the opportunity to ask Siphokazi Jonas a few questions regarding her play production. When asked what brought her back to this play two years after its debut, and what the reasons behind some of the changes made were, she replied, “I felt it was necessary, considering what was happening in the country at that time.” Jonas further expressed that she is not against reinterpreting her work, so long as the core story remains the core story.
Jonas’s production explores the stories of four South African women and their struggles with their families, their education and the men who are introduced into their lives. It reveals how, regardless of their race or class, South African women are all experiencing the effects of femicide. The church scene in Around the fire takes the issue of femicide and displays comically to the audience how South Africans have become desensitised to femicide. Jonas steps out of representing the four main characters and plays the role of the preacher. She is dressed by fellow cast members and speaks on how Moses was told to take off his sandals because he had entered a holy place, where the bush was on fire but not burning. She uses the bush as symbolism for the women, who are on fire and under attack, but not burning, refusing just to give up. She proceeds to ask for offerings while the cast sings an upbeat song that states, “They go missing, many dying, it’s a way of life, first the hashtags, thoughts and prayers, now they’re dead.” Every cast member gets their candle lit by the preacher and places it by other candles, symbolising more women being remembered, while life continues for the rest. This theme is reinforced throughout the play, as the cast lights up candles that are at the centre of the stage, almost to represent a woman dying after every few minutes.
Jonas’s production creates a space where women can come together and share their experiences and, in turn, celebrate their vulnerability without shame and give back power to one another. Towards the end of the play, the character of Angel asks Amber how she has dealt with being violated; the answer isn’t revealed to the audience, but Angel decides to throw away her costume piece that represents her. The cast starts singing, “You are the flame and we are the fire” in a very sombre tone, revealing the power that can be found in vulnerability, but also the strength that victimised women possess. However, it also reveals how, even though possessing power is possible, the way in which it comes is disturbing.
This play production is beautifully crafted and presented. The cast members are professionals and stay true to their characters, even though all of them, besides Jonas, are extras with minimal lines. They are able to drive the play through their use of instruments, such as the djembe drum, and the use of song and contemporary dance. The different costume pieces that Jonas puts on to represent each character, allow her to move through the different characters and stories seamlessly. The set design, with plastic sheets, allows for the reimagining of flashbacks and the expression of vulnerability, allowing the characters to be isolated but one with the audience. Through the different characters, it explores the different reactions that come with the South African femicide through the eyes of those who are most affected by it. It is a plea for change, while still instilling hope for those who see it.
Mentor feedback (Version 1)
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