Name of production: Kinderspeletjies

Dramaturg: Marietjie Pretorius

AdaptorR:  Kobus Strydom

Director: Gerben Kamper

Venue:  Scaena Theatre, UFS Main Campus

Language: Afrikaans

Dates and times:

13 May 2015                   19:30

14 May 2015                   19:30

15 May 2015                   19:30

Prices:  R 40.00 for adults / R 30.00 for students, scholars or pensioners.

Bookings:   Computicket (0861 915 8000)

Kinderspeletjies, a psycho drama by Marietjie Pretorius which was adapted for the stage by Kobus Strydom, will be performed by second-year students of the Unversity of the Free State’s Drama Department, under the direction of Gerben Kamper.

It is the evening before schools re-open in January. Five sixteen-year old girls from different backgrounds and diverse domestic circumstances arrive in their room at the hostel: The new one, Kinna, was specifically placed among a group of girls as a result of behavioural problems she experiences while being the only child of an elderly couple. Big and sexy, Lettie is very much beauty-conscious. Vanessa is the loner from a broken home and Kobie a self-conscious introvert.

And then comes Mary, the arrogant extrovert who is used to always getting her way. The pedantic hostel mother completes the cast.

The given allows for an explosive situation which can all too easily get out of control because of the girls’ personal experiences of group pressure, manipulation, popularity and a yearning for acceptance.

The context is universal, the situation devastating.

It highlights the quest school girls experience to establish their own identities, which up to now have been formed by parents, teachers and a confused grown-up society.

Kinderspeletjies will be presented in the Scaena Theatre on the UFS campus on 13 – 15 May 2015 at 19:30. Please note the age restriction of 13 years.