Explore the spell of witchcraft with the play Ten Bush presented by Wits School of Arts and Wits Theatre
JOBURG — A play about witchcraft set against the harsh realities of the South African landscape.
The Wits School of Arts and Wits Theatre presents Ten Bush, written by Mncedisi Shabangu and Craig Higginson and directed by award-winning director Prince Lamla.
The play is about witchcraft set against the harsh realities of the South African landscape and will run at the Downstairs Theatre at Wits from 13 to 21 October.
The production was originally created by Shabangu through the Market Theatre Laboratory and has since been reworked by Shabangu and co-writer Craig Higginson after they embarked on an incredible journey to discover the intricacies and inner-workings of witchcraft.
Shabangu and Higginson visited a settlement known as Tenbosch, which inspired the title of the play, and was situated in the middle of a large and affluent sugarcane farm. “The farmer hadn’t bothered to provide sanitation or electricity for the settlement and the inhabitants got cold water from a single tap,” Higginson explained.
Higginson used plays such as Macbeth and Blood Wedding as his frame of reference, while Shabangu was influenced by theatre company Complicite as well as his own upbringing and the stories he heard as a child. The dialogue of the play is in Siswati and English.
Director of Ten Bush, Prince Lamla, who is also a lecturer in the Theatre and Performance Division of the Wits School of Arts said, “Mncedisi Shabangu’s work has always fascinated me since before I became a director over a decade and a half ago. As a director, I always wanted to seize the opportunity to present his work.
“One of the reasons I have decided to direct this play is I want the challenge of making the spirit realm visible.”
By choosing this as a student play, Lamla recognises the opportunity to expose students to contemporary South African work that is authentically African.
“Teaching at Wits, I am aware that part of the journey is to decolonise learning. So as part of the education and experiential learning, this is a good script for them to become familiar with not just with the cultural practices but with the writers that are in the industry.”
The talented cast of six are Ratanang Mogtsi, Abongile Maurice Matyutyu, Nolitha Radebe, Xolile Gama, Angelinah Mofokeng and Sandile Mazibuko.
Details: Booking www.webtickets.co.za
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