The multi-talented 15-member cast comprises of Magnet Theatre and UCT Drama School graduates and some of the Cape Town Opera's youngest members who have come together to perform in this new production under the direction of Mark Fleishman with music by Neo Muyanga, movement direction by Jennie Reznek and designs by Craig Leo.
Is it an opera or a musical? Director Mark Fleishman says, "Heart of Redness is hard to define and package neatly under a single unambiguous descriptor. And that is exactly what we are trying to achieve, a something in-between that takes cognisance of various styles without settling comfortably into any one of them. It has elements of operatic, choral and traditional music styles to present a unique yet highly entertaining piece that is sure to delight audiences."
Shortlisted for the prestigious Commonwealth Writers Prize, Heart of Redness tells a story of South African village life against the backdrop of a notorious episode from the country's past. Camugu, who left for America during apartheid, has returned to Johannesburg. Disillusioned by the problems of the new democracy, he travels to the remote Eastern Cape where, in the nineteenth century, a teenage prophetess named Nonqawuse commanded the Xhosa people to kill their cattle and burn their crops, promising that once they did so, the spirits of their ancestors would rise and drive the occupying English into the ocean.
The failed prophecy split the Xhosa into believers and unbelievers, dividing brother from brother, wife from husband, with devastating consequences. One hundred and fifty years later, the two groups' descendants are at odds over plans to build a vast casino and tourist resort in the village, and Camugu is soon drawn into their heritage and their future.
Sponsored by NLDTF, Magnet Theatre, The Fugard, RMB and the HCI Foundation Heart of Redness shifts back and forth between the present day and the time of the Xhosa prophetess, Nonqawuse; between myth and history; culminating in a modern day dilemma of heritage and traditional values versus development and growth. It's a riveting story by Zakes Mda, one of South Africa's greatest poets, novelists and playwrights.
For the remainder of the 2015 season, Cape Town Opera has teamed up with some of SA's leading creative artists to produce three proudly African productions including Heart of Redness in August, The Merry Widow of Malagawi which premieres in the Opera House at Artscape on 5 September and runs through to 12 September, followed by Donizetti's Maria Stuarda on 7 and 8 November at Artscape Theatre. This year's season culminates with the staging of FOUR:30 which introduces four new home-grown opera's on one bill at the Artscape Theatre from 21 November to 28 November.
Funded by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, these productions proudly showcase South Africa's finest and in some instances, newest operatic talent to set the tone for greater opera performances in 2016.
Subject to cancel without prior notice.
Venue: The Fugard Theatre, Cape Town
Wednesday, 19 August 2015 at 7.30 pm
Thursday, 20 August at 7.30 pm
Friday, 21 August at 7.30 pm
Saturday, 22 August at 7.30 pm
R100, R150 and R190
Senior Citizens, students and block bookings of 10 and more persons
R90, R140 and R180
Friends of the Fugard
R130 and R170
Computicket: call 0861 915 8000, visit Computicket or visit your nearest Computicket outlet.
