A Clockwork Orange comes to DUT
Set in a dystopian future, where young teenage gangs loot, steal and speak in a Russian-English infused slang called Nadsat, Burgess’ story provides a biting look at hooliganism and social identity in an authoritarian-run state.
DURBAN University of Technology Drama and Production Studies presents the stage adaptation of Sir Anthony Burgess’ iconic novella, A Clockwork Orange, a cautionary tale and dark social satire about extreme youth violence, which comes to the newly-refurbished Courtyard Theatre from 23 until 30 May. Directed by Marcia Peschke, the raw and unsettling energy of predatory adolescents featured in A Clockwork Orange, is seen through the moral narrative of Alex and his droogs, Pete, Georgie and Dim, who indulge in crimes of viciousness and ultra-violence.
Set in a dystopian future, where young teenage gangs loot, steal and speak in a Russian-English infused slang called Nadsat, Burgess’ story provides a biting look at hooliganism and social identity in an authoritarian-run state.
While Alex and his gang represent the destruction of youth, their gang and many like them also act out as a form of revenge towards the hidden agendas and deceptions of a rigid system which would seek to automate them and strip them of their free will. Burgess, one the UK’s most prolific and well-accomplished writers achieved fame for the novella on which the play is based after it was published and then made for film and directed by Stanley Kubrick.
The film received notoriety and was made famous for its memorably imagery and depictions of violence. Burgess then completed a definitive stage version that was closer to the original book rather than the story and the character of Alex that continued to thrive from the film and through pop culture references.
Performed by student actors from Department of Drama and Production Studies in the Durban University of Technology, A Clockwork Orange pokes fun at the kind of values that promote masculine behaviour as aggressive and unemotional, and offers social commentary on the youth’s struggle to find themselves in the layers of socialisation embedded with their behaviour.The play is directed by junior lecturer Marcia Peschke. To book tickets contact Busisiwe Mqadi on 031 373 2194.
