Based on the true story that rocked the nation and shocked the world, Lara Foot Newton’s critically acclaimed Tshepang comes to the Baxter Sanlam Studio for two weeks only from 20 to 31 January 2009. Since it was first performed in South Africa in 2003, the play has touched the hearts of theatre lovers all over the globe.

Foot Newton once again directs Mncedisi Shabangu, who reprises his role as narrator and sculptor Simon, and newcomer Nonceba Constance Didi who plays Ruth in this haunting and uplifting masterpiece of redemption. Renowned for his unique style of physical theatre, Shabangu received the 2003 Fleur du Cap Best Actor award for his performance.

The simplicity and symbolism of Gerhard Marx’s award-winning scenography and design creates a visual and evocative backdrop for the story. In 2002 he teamed up with Foot Newton in an artistic collaboration entitled duckrabbit. Their production of Hear and Now toured South Africa and Sweden in 2005. The team’s short film And there in the Dust has won six international film awards, including two South African Film and Television Awards - one for Best Short Film and the other for Best Screenwriter for a Short Film.

Mncedisi Shabangu in Tshepang

After its limited run at the Baxter, Tshepang transfers to the Market Theatre in Johannesburg for three performances only from 6 to 8 February, before embarking on its Canadian tour, which kicks off at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto from 18 to 21 February, followed by Montreal and Ottawa.

The play has garnered several awards and accolades; has been translated into Zulu, Afrikaans and Croatian; has been published in English and Zulu and been has been performed in prisons and rural settlements throughout South Africa.

Tshepang has played in New York, London, Brisbane, Stockholm and Amsterdam, and toured Germany and Switzerland. The Stage in London described it as a “searing and compassionate, powerfully acted play … a committed act of remembrance”, while the South African Sunday Independent encouraged, “If you only see one show this year, Tshepang demands to be the one … superbly written and performed”, and What’s On, London, said “Deeply moving”.

In 2001 South Africa was devastated by the news of the brutal rape of nine-month-old baby Tshepang in Louisvaleweg, a small town in the Northern Cape, leaving behind scars which still penetrate today. Once the story hit local and international headlines, it was as if the scab was torn off a festering wound as hundreds of similar stories suddenly surfaced via the media - each equally horrific.

Inspired by this shocking true story, Lara responded to the desperate situation by starting to write the play in 2002, based on extensive research from media articles and related material and a deeper investigation into both the physical and socio-economic landscape where events such as these occur. Rather than pointing fingers and finding unsubstantiated answers, the play draws the viewer into the complexities and contradictions that surround these events.

She explains, “While searching for meaning in the incomprehensible brutality of this heinous and senseless act of brutality, I wanted the play to bring insight to the audience and, perhaps, in its small way, even offer some sort of healing as well.”

Tshepang became an international success as it presented a rare and necessary foray into a world that few have seen before. It draws on a South African style of story-telling, combining striking visual imagery with an African sense of magic realism while cleverly and sensitively layering the story with complex psychological and personal issues. Although the topic may be brutal, the way it is handled is sensitive, even poetic, earning the production praise from audiences and critics around the globe.

While the content of the play is influenced or motivated by factual evidence, the story is purely fictional, weaving together twenty thousand stories - the number of reported child rapes in South Africa per year. Tshepang is ultimately a story of love, forgiveness and coming to terms with a devastation of this magnitude.

A literary expert best described it as “a play rich with meanings and subtexts,” and said, “Although an infamous incident in South African society is highlighted in this play, it is done in such a manner that it does have universal effect and resonance.”

For writer and director Lara Foot Newton, storytelling has been a passion since her days at the University of Witwatersrand in the 80s, where she graduated with an honours degree in drama and received an award for outstanding achievement in directing. She has directed more than 35 productions, 25 of which have been new South African works, including a staging of Zakes Mda's novel Ways of Dying (2000), and her own creations Tshepang (2003) Hear and Now (2005), Karoo Moose (2007), Reach (2007) and Addicted to Life (2008). Among the contemporary classics she has directed are Equus (1991), The Crucible (1995), A Streetcar Named Desire (2002) and Waiting for Godot (2002). Other works in recent years include Amadeus, Betrayal and Athol Fugard’s Victory.

"I really hope people will not be put off by the content, and that they will come and have a theatrical experience which will help them to deal with this phenomenon. I believe that that is what theatre can do - it can heal, bring understanding and insight," says Foot Newton.

The limited season of Tshepang runs in the Baxter Sanlam Studio from 20 to 31 January 2009. Booking is through Computicket on 083 915 8100, online at www.computicket.co.za or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet.

For discounted block, corporate or school bookings, charities or fundraisers, contact the Baxter’s sales team, Sharon on 021 680 3962, Tarryn on 021 680 3991 or Sakhiwo on 021 680 3991, during office hours.

Visit www.baxter.co.za for more information.

What the critics said about Tshepang

“If you only see one show this year, Tshepang demands to be the one … superbly written and performed” - Sunday Independent

“… a rich and rewarding theatrical experience  ….  stunning scenography … I had to wipe away the tears before I could make any critical assessment.” - Pretoria News

“Do go and see it - it’s dynamic theatre” - Radio review (South Africa)

“This searing and compassionate, powerfully acted play … is a committed act of remembrance.”

 - The Stage, London

“The acting has a massive sculptural simplicity. That, and Gerhard Marx’s set, with its toy village and basic props, suggests both the earthy vigour of Barney Simon’s Market Theatre and the visionary realistic style of Peter Brook. This is a wonderful debut.”

- The Sunday Times

“There’s a richness and subtlety in Lara Foot Newton’s script that has not been seen in South African new writing in recent years.”

- Critic’s Choice, Time Out, London

“Deeply moving” - What’s On, London

“… a vivid portrait of a town cut off by poverty from its own heart …a world where powerless people are trying slowly and painfully to take responsibility and learn to love again.” - Guardian