 The Road To Mecca |
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Wednesday, March 12 2008 @ 04:57 PM GMT
Author: Dan. Views: 304
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This wonderful, intense play by South African playwright Athol Fugard is being staged at the Woodlands Centre in Rustington from March 12th-15th.
Based on the life of the extraordinary naive artist Helen Martins, the play captures the struggle in South Africa between authoritarianism and freedom, rigid religion and wild creativity. It is also a very moving love story.
Set in the dry, empty desert of The Karoo, Helen Martins is under
pressure from her old friend Pastor Marius Byleveld to move to an old
people�s home. While his motives appear decent enough to him, Helen�s
young friend Elsa pays a flying visit from faraway Cape Town to urge
Helen to resist what she sees as patriarchal bullying � and an attempt
to stifle the madcap creativity of a woman who has stepped so far out
of line with the religious and social orthodoxy of her remote town as
to become an outcast. (As a matter of historical data: while shunned
during her life, Helen�s outdoor sculpture park has become a South
African national monument.)
This play was originally staged in Arundel last November and was so
highly regarded the three actors involved, Geraldine Lee-Uff-Zyms, Kate
Smith and Nick Peters were invited to stage it again in Rustington.
Tickets are available on the door.
Call Nick Peters on 07986 764525 for more information.
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