Bay's Athenaeum set for top theatre productions

[caption id="attachment_38277" align="alignright" width="405"] LOOKING BACK: Thembi Mtshali-Jones stars in 'Woman in Waiting' which opens the National Arts Festival's 'Season of Solo Theatre' at the Athenaeum Theatre[/caption] WHILE art exhibitions in Nelson Mandela Bay have been part of the National Arts Festival since last year, this year theatre-goers will be able to catch a number of top-notch productions in the city direct from Grahamstown. The "Season of Solo Theatre" sees no fewer than six main programme offerings being staged successively for one night only each over a period of a week at the Athenaeum Theatre in Belmont Terrace. The unique aspect is that they are all single actor performances. First up on July 8 is Woman in Waiting an award-winning, soul-searching biographical journey into what life was like for women living in apartheid South Africa. Thembi Mtshali-Jones stars in this one-woman account that leads the audience from her rural childhood to discovering the humiliations her mother endured. It incorporates the actress's own desperate years as a domestic worker, having to leave her baby to tend to the children of others, just as her mother once had to leave her. In Meze, Mira and Make Up on July 9, an adolescent Greek girl finds herself in an unconventional environment as she grows up. Irene Stephanou's classic play is a one-woman essay of a world where being asked to dance is the penultimate prize, and is a story populated with vividly drawn characters who all audiences can identify with. The commentary is peppered with lashings of laughter as Mira, portrayed by Taryn Papadopoulos Louch, defies cultural expectations and finds a suitor who does not quite match up to her mother's expectations. The play is directed by Renos Nicos Spanoudes. Tim Plewman's legendary show, Defending the Caveman, ran throughout South Africa for nine years, crossing the divides of religion, gender, culture and race. Now in Designer Genes – being staged at the Athenaeum on July 10 – he investigates genetics and the complexity of their impact on our relationships. It's a trip through puberty, ancient man and the modern world to discover our real identities. Salaam Stories – being presented on July 11 – is a mix of fact and fantasy which are skillfully woven into a meditation on life, love and loss in a portrait of the Cape Muslim community. It stars the incisive theatre piece's writer Ashraf Johaardien and is directed by Jade Bowers. My Word! Redesigning Buckingham Palace on July 12 sees Basil Appollis celebrating the life and work of legendary writer Richard Rive. At the same time, it's a salute to District Six with Buckingham Palace being the ironic nickname for a row of mouldy cottages. To add to this paradox, there were framed and mounted prints of the royal family hanging everywhere in these rundown tenements. Finally, Cheaper than Roses on July 13 is a heartwarming and both funny and sad story of a woman who did not want to be anything like the title of this haunting work which examines the premise: "Sometimes running away from who we are, brings us closer to who we are". It is written by Ismail Mahomed, directed by Zane Meas and stars Lizz Meiring for whom it was specially scripted. All the shows start at 7pm. The productions all have seasons in Grahamstown beforehand.