The Rhodes University drama department’s 2013 graduation production, Drifting, is an intimate scope into the life and works of the late Reza de Wet.
The Rhodes University drama department’s 2013 graduation production, Drifting, is an intimate scope into the life and works of the late Reza de Wet.
An iconic playwright and major inspirational figure for the department – and South African theatre as a whole – De Wet passed away in January last year.
“We have chosen to borrow the ethereal and mysterious quality her work possessed, along with responses from our senior post-graduates and much of the drama department staff, who are part of the smorgasbord of creative minds involved in and around the show,” said director Rob Murray.
Part of the large team that collaborated to create ‘Drifting’, Murray regards De Wet as an inspiration who helped him hone his own writing and devising craft. Murray was once a student in De Wet's Honours Creative Writing class.
“I remember perfectly her parking her sunshine-yellow MG sports car outside the department,” Murray recalled, “and rushing in with her bonnet on to come and lecture. She was definitely an identifiable and integral Grahamstown character.”
To create the tribute students responded both in written and verbal form, providing most of the body of the piece.
Murray explained how it begins with a lecturer who introduces De Wet with many foibles. He then discovers that she is missing and the search begins for her spirit through choreography, puppetry and art pieces which are all thematically linked. In essence, they are drifting through her work.
Through this contemporary framework, the cast employs the genre of magic realism, which was central to the style evident in De Wet’s works. “We didn’t want to make a variety show that amalgamated her works,” Murray explained, “but rather to create a dream world that she would approve of and into which the audience can escape. It’s our way of giving tribute and saying goodbye to her memory.”
The ability to show an alternative way of living one’s life is important in our troubled South African context, according to Murray, and he stressed that if the show can transport the audience into this magical world, they'll come out a fundamentally different person, even in a small way. This speaks to the turbulent relationships engaged in by the waif-like and interesting characters who moulded De Wet’s narratives.
Her works such as ‘Mirakel’, ‘Drif’ and collaborations First Physical Theatre Company ‘The Unspeakable Story’ and ‘Dialogue’ have greatly informed the piece.
“Her husband Lindsay Reardon, their daughter Nina, Tim Huysamen and Beth Dickerson have provided us with voice recordings and anecdotes that infuse her technique and character into the work,” Murray said, without whose input he feels the piece would be lacking.
Murray advises parental guidance for some strong language and a strong mood. Performances will be at the Rhodes theatre on 4, 6 and 9 April. Money from ticket sales will go towards the Reza De Wet Post Graduate Bursary, which will be awarded to promising drama students.
Tickets are sold at the Drama Department Café, weekdays between 9am and 4pm. Pre-booked tickets are R100 for the public, R80 for students, and R60 each for block bookings. Door sale tickets are R120 (public) and R100 (students). The student special (9 April show) is R50 (public) and R30 (students). Performances start at 7pm at the Rhodes Theatre.
“The Rhodes drama department is known for their collaborations,” Murray said, “and this is a huge one. People should come to pay tribute to her memory and watch a beautiful and visually provocative piece”.
For those who can’t attend the show but would like to donate to the bursary fund, contact Robert Haxton for banking details at r.haxton@ru.ac.za.
