Prepare yourself for a multi-coloured explosion to delight the senses. Dressed in vibrant costumes and amidst a hand-painted set, Ubom!’s talented six-person ensemble will explode across the stage of the Rhodes University Theatre all of next week for their performance of Betti and the Yeti.
Prepare yourself for a multi-coloured explosion to delight the senses. Dressed in vibrant costumes and amidst a hand-painted set, Ubom!’s talented six-person ensemble will explode across the stage of the Rhodes University Theatre all of next week for their performance of Betti and the Yeti.
“Visually, it’s very exciting,” said director Daniel Buckland. “Its strength perhaps is in that's it’s an immersive theatrical journey that the kids, and that the audience of all ages can invest in, emotionally and intellectually and also imaginatively.”
The piece was first constructed in 2008, directed and written by Rhodes graduates Dani Marais and Brink Scholtz.
Under Buckland’s direction, the current Ubom! cast did some tweaking in order to make the piece their own.
The story arc and the build-up to the appearance of the yeti were slightly reshuffled.
Two new characters, a news anchor and a weather forecaster, were also introduced. Importantly, the group also worked strongly with choral work.
“They are such a tight-knit group that they are almost thinking together and moving together,” said Buckland, explaining how the piece capitalises on this seamless group dynamic.
On deciding to re-stage the piece, Buckland explained: its characters are engaging and unique, its script is enjoyable and its comedy diverting, whether one is seven or 70 years old.
They group also identified strongly with the moral concrete that holds the play together. It’s a piece that is easily refreshed, noted media liaison Maude Sandham.
“There are new themes that have come in, focusing on environmentalism, sustainability and xenophobia.”
The performances will be a holistic journey, explained Sandham.
The schoolchildren who attend the show will be taken on to the Drostdy lawns for a variety of activities designed to get them thinking about the themes that are addressed in the piece and to remove the clinical stigma surrounding theatre.
Tickets are still available for the Wednesday and Thursday shows at the Rhodes Theatre Café and at the Ubom! Offices, located in the drama building. You can also check out the Facebook page for more information.
Shows are on daily from Monday to Friday, at 9am and 11am. There will also be a 1pm show on Thursday 14 March.
