The annual Rhodes University theatre production Innovations had audience members on the edge of their seats last Friday and Saturday, playing to a full house on both nights.
The annual Rhodes University theatre production Innovations had audience members on the edge of their seats last Friday and Saturday, playing to a full house on both nights.
Innovations is organised by the third-year Drama students and this year’s theme, “phobophobia”, or the fear of fears, was brimming with creepy performances to leave your hairs standing on end. First up was the Ubom! Eastern Cape Drama Company, presenting an excerpt of their new production, “The Dogs Must Be Crazy”. It was certainly one of the more memorable acts, as the unsettling political undertones were brilliantly executed through puppetry, minimalist stage installations and a good old bloodcurdling scream.
What added to the ambience was the clever display of sound and blackness, where each act was broken by intervals of darkness. If the dramatic performances didn't get you squirming in your seat, then the jostling ticket queues and packed-full house certainly had a few claustrophobics hot under the collar.
Physical theatre was a popular choice this year. “Umhle kangaka ke warhuba: The unmasked crown” directed by Fezokuhle Mthonti and Mathabo Tlali touched on the dynamics of identity and language, and had an immediate response from many in the audience, who were moved by its powerful isiXhosa soliloquy. “Somniphobia”, choreographed by Nokukhanya Zulu, was a visual delight with a clever use of stage space. Its vivid dream-like scenery of dips and falls narrated the fear of falling asleep, as the sleeper meandered across the stage through a surreal world of torment.
If fear of an uncomfortable silence was part of the production, the producers were spot on. Missed sound cues and a sometimes-failing sound system threw spanners in the works of this otherwise well-oiled machine. “A Case of Faux Beer”, by the talented Nat(urally) Caf(feinated) crew, dispersed an awkward technical error with a tongue-in-cheek film noir. Suspense and rip-roaring allusions to Grahamstown and the Rhodes student’s lifestyle made it another favourite among the audience.
Love and its hidden anxieties were uncovered in “Philophobia (You)”, the fear of being in love, which linked in with “My Immortal”, where a piano, beatboxing and vocal mash-up explored the fragilities of relationships. “Bondage”, a powerful piece of the fear of moving on from one’s past, was carefully rendered in a fluid performance while “Modern Audio” added a hip twist to a tale of forbidden love.
Innovations 2012 was a one-of-a-kind production which incorporated a fantastic variety of mediums.The audience laughed, gasped, shifted uncomfortably and fought goosebumps all through these portrayals of a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Fear has never looked this good.
