GALLERY: “Actress and Girl” takes on 969 Festival at Wits Theatre

Rachael Neary is one of those people who trips and falls into their life’s calling. When she registered for her BA at Rhodes University she had every intention of reading history. However, drama, her other major, stepped in and took over. The Blairgowrie resident explains, “I was initially terrified by it but something inside kept pushing me to do it. Now nothing else excites me. I cannot live without it.” She graduated in 2013 with an Honours degree in Drama and she has been working relentlessly since. She has recently returned from the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and is currently performing in the 969 Festival at the Wits Theatre from 15 to 26 July.

Neary describes Actress and Girl as a charming little story. She feels that the female mode of theatre is quite sexual. The ‘female trajectory’ of storytelling seems to follow assault, sex, men or who women are in relation to men – but women should not be so narrowly defined. Neary said her influence for the piece was Waiting for Godot and she asks, “Why can’t we just have a story about two females? We are aiming for more 3D characters.”

Feedback from the play has been positive. According to Neary, “All we want is to create an impact. We are not performing with any specific message in mind.” The 969 Festival has afforded her, Simona Mazza (director) and Maude Sandham (co-creator and actress) to get the show off the ground. “Joburg is really exciting for theatre at the moment.”

Simona Mazza, the show’s director, came on board two weeks before the debut. What she thought would be a bit of tweaking ended up being an almost entire rewrite. Also a Rhodes alumna, Mazza has her Honours degree in directing. Of the piece she says, “We are happy with it. Even when the piece changes slightly, we are quite careful to keep the essence of it.”

The 969 Festival is currently running and tickets can be purchased here.