Production to establish common points during the pandemic
Lusanda Zokufa
Fresh from working with Young Artist of the Year Jeff Tshabalala on his commissioned work for the National Arts Festival, Kwasha! Theatre Company is rehearsing on a performance devised for the Zoom app, featuring artists from seven countries in Africa, South America and Europe.
This unique theatrical experience, titled The Art of Facing Fear, is an international collaboration conceived by Rodolfo García Vázquez and Ivam Cabral from acclaimed theatre company Os Satyros in São Paulo. After the first version’s success in Brazil, this new iteration will premiere on 31 July and run from Friday to Sunday throughout August at 20:00.
The Art of Facing Fear is set in a dystopian world, 5555 days in the future, while the global pandemic still rages. In this world in which lockdown continues to be a reality, many things are not available to people.
Despite the government’s absolute control on digital communication, a group of friends still have a chance to keep in contact with each other via the internet. This group don’t understand how it’s still possible to have electric energy and web access because all the TV channels and newspapers have vanished, and the cities have been abandoned.
The main themes are depression, loneliness, hatred, the fear of infection, the angst of nearing death, and political extremism.
The idea is to establish points in common among different national realities during the pandemic; fears that have taken over humankind during this period globally; effects of social intolerance and political extremism in the world today.
At the end of the performance, artists and audiences will be invited to talk freely about the performance, the effects of the pandemic in their countries and ways for a better political future.
The producers of this production are Crown Troupe of Africa (Nigeria), Darling Desperados (Sweden), Oddmanout (England), Os Satyros (Brazil), Portuguese Cultural Center of Mindelo (Cap Verde), Village Productions (South Africa), Tell-a-Tale (Nigeria), The Kwasha! Theatre Company (South Africa), The Market Theatre Laboratory (South Africa) and Unga Klara (Sweden).
For more visit www.universe.com/users/darling-desperados-XLCBPZ