A new play by veteran writer and director Robert Lourens about the life of Sarah Baartman, Return of the Moon, opens tomorrow at the PE Opera House for a four-night run.
Part of the Opera House’s Drama Seasons, Return of the Moon focuses on questions such as: what would happen if a European icon was paraded around Africa as the Eastern Cape’s Baartman was paraded around Europe?
What if Baartman never travelled to Europe?
What if we knew who Baartman really was, stripped of her iconic “Hottentot Venus” image?
Lourens gives a glimpse of the historical figure by looking at the prejudices of Europe, as well as the reports of Europeans visiting Southern Africa, seen through quotes and comments made by prominent European people of the age.
This is then contrasted with an African view, as seen through the speech given at Baartman’s funeral.
“This is not the story of the Hottentot Venus, but rather a small glimpse into who Sarah was, what she went through and how she felt.
“It is an insight into the world she lived in from the limited information we have,” Lourens said.
“The question still remains: who was Sarah Baartman?”
His cast includes Bennie Gerber, Kehly Windvogel, Marcia Ntoni, Marianah Lourens, Nina Fillis and Phillip Cowie.
Lourens has been involved with theatre since 1973 as a stage manager and director, lighting designer, producer and sound engineer, working for numerous theatres and performing arts companies.
He started writing dramatic plays seriously in 2005 after a writing workshop with Roy Sargeant, when his short play, Legacy, was produced under the direction of another veteran Port Elizabeth theatre professional, Marlene Pieterse.
Since then he has been exploring different aspects of the art of writing and his production, The Road, won the regional Pansa new script-writing competition and was produced by the PE Opera House last year.
Drama Seasons at the PE Opera House is a series of commissioned works staged every month for a short run and is designed to breathe life into productions produced largely by locally-based experts.
Return of the Moon is at 7pm from tomorrow to Saturday, with an additional 2pm matinee on Saturday.
Tickets are R100 (R150 double), and students, pupils and pensioners pay R50.
For bookings, tickets and more information, contact Cingiwe Skosana at cingiwe.skosana@gmail.com or Nomgcobo Mkize at nomgcobomkize@gmail.com.