From rural boy to global icon
JOBURG - The Nelson Mandela Square theatre lovers joined in a celebration of its namesake at the opening of Making Mandela at the Auto and General Theatre on the Square on 16 September.
Written by South Africa theatre heavyweights, Nick Warren and Jenine Collocott, the play is a humorous, but also thought-provoking take on the early life of Nelson Mandela. Touching on his birth until the period before he joined the African National Congress, the show covers the themes of love, family and tradition through energetic and animated performances by Jaques De Silva, Barileng Malebye and Mlindeli Zondi.
The play explores Mandela’s transformation from a rural boy in the Eastern Cape to the icon for political and racial harmony which he became all over the world.
Owner and manager at the theatre, Daphne Kuhn said, “The production is an imaginative journey through the childhood of Nelson Mandela featuring colourful characters vividly portrayed in beautiful masks, with physical performances supported by emotive sound design and theatrical styling.”
Following a successful run at this year’s National Arts Festival in Grahamstown the play opened to excited Johannesburg theatre lovers and will run until 3 October.
