People are living there
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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.