The Remarkable Gaynor Young Returns to the Stage with New One-Woman Show Beauty in the Broken
After a two-decade hiatus from the stage, beloved South African actress and author Gaynor Young returns with her powerful and deeply personal new one-woman show, Beauty in the Broken, directed by Maralin Vanrenen
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Gaynor Young’s story is one that continues to inspire and astonish. Once a rising star of the South African stage, Gaynor’s life changed forever in 1989 when, while understudying the lead role of Guinevere in Camelot, she fell 18 storeys down an unguarded lift shaft. She survived but just barely suffering multiple devastating injuries, including permanent deafness.
Her miraculous recovery captured the hearts of a nation. Through sheer determination and the unwavering love of her mother, Gaynor slowly and courageously rebuilt her life. She shared that journey in two acclaimed productions. My Plunge to Fame and Gaynor Rising.
Now, twenty years later, she returns with the next chapter. “I was broken once,” says Young. “My world was shattered. But I found a way to live again. Looking back, I see the beauty in those broken pieces the gold threads of love, resilience, and hope. My mum was the river of gold that held me together. Beauty in the Broken is the story of what’s happened since.”
Drawing on the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold to celebrate its cracks and history Beauty in the Brokenis a moving reflection on trauma, healing, and the human capacity to rise. It is raw, uplifting, often humorous, and deeply honest.
Gaynor Young remains a heroine of our times a symbol of triumph over tragedy, and a storyteller whose voice, though once silenced by injury, now resounds louder and more powerfully than ever. Audiences will leave inspired, uplifted, and reminded of the quiet strength within us all.
