The Market Theatre and the Windybrow Arts Centre are excited to end the year with a South African offering for children, their families and friends.
The Terrified Talabalushi, by Cape Town-based writer Megan Choritz, comes to The Market from November 23 to December 17.
It is a piece with music for children, directed by the award-winning Omphile Molusi and composed by the talented Volley Nchabeleng. The Kwasha Theatre Company, which visited schools this year with Skin We Are In, is joined by actors Sanelisiwe Yekani and Siyambonga Mdubeki to bring this adventure to life.
Set in the Knysna forest, the protagonist is Tokkie, a terrified young talabalushi. His family are at their wits’ end because their youngest, Tokkie, is scared of everything, especially the light, meaning he can’t go out scaring, which is what he is supposed to do.
Talabalushis are very secretive and only active after sunset. A talabalushi is a small, Southern African mischievous creature, a combination of a goblin, a spirit, and a tree creature found in the unseen side of South African forests, and sometimes even closer to our villages, towns, and cities.
Talabalushi came about to scare, confuse, and disrupt humans when they got too big for their boots. It is said that they are distantly related to the tokoloshe.
In 2019, the play was part of the Association Internationale du Théâtre de l’Enfance et la Jeunesse’s (ASSITEJ) South African leg of the African Playwriting Competition.
For this production at The Market Theatre, Choritz and Molusi developed the script further.
Choritz shared, “I had the best and most productive time with Omphile. What a gift to work with him. He is thoughtful, kind, brilliantly clever, naughty and fun. He has helped me turn The Terrified Talabalushi into a delightful text, and I know it will grow, change, and evolve on the rehearsal floor.”
Omphile formed a formidable creative team to create a fun experience, bringing the Knysna forest and some of its creatures to The Market Theatre.
Nchabeleng has added live music to the work to create a fitting atmosphere and sound.
This production is an excellent way to explore fear safely and entertainingly while growing a love for the theatre.
Tickets range from R100 to R150 per person, with special prices for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available through Webtickets.
For more information, contact Lusanda Zokufa, brand and communications manager, on 072 367 7867 or lusandaz@markettheatre.co.za
For special group discounts, call Anthony Ezeoke on 011 832 1641 ext 203 or 083 246 4950.
