Director: Karabelo Lekalake

Writer:  Athol Fugard
Venue: Scaena Theatre

Dates & times:

21 May at 19:30

22 May at 19:30

23 May at 19:30

24 May at 19:30

R 30.00 per person & R 20.00 per person (students, scholars & pensioners)

Bookings:   Computicket (Mimosa Mall en Checkers)

People Are Living There is a milestone play in Fugard’s career as a major South African playwright. Contrary to the believe that Fugard’s plays are racially driven, this two-act play allows the audience to reflect and search for a true meaning of life. Like many of his staged works, People Are Living There maintains a unity of time and space.  In the play, Fugard presents a sad, Milly, Don, Shorty and Sissy, who’s daily lives are grains of sand that will never have shape or meaning.

Set in a Johannesburg boarding house in 1989, People Are Living There revolves around a landlady Milly, whose 10 year romantic relationship with one of her boarders has just come to a messy abrupt end. With a good deal of bitter comedy, Milly, Don and Shorty organize a party which is meant to convince Ahlers (her ex-lover) that she is neither downcast, heartbroken nor defeated by their break-up. The party these three arrange is a pathetic, tragic and a comic experience.

The irony of life takes centre stage in this play especially through Fugard’s silkworm’s life span metaphor juxtaposed to the life of human-beings.  The play effortlessly echoes these words, “time waits for no men”. Although there is a bleak melancholy shadow over everything that happens in this play, Fugard still gives the audience opportunity to laugh.