The Runaway Bunni Collective has premiered the dramatic thriller, Passages, written by Emma Lungiswa De Wet and directed by Robert Haxton, this Festival. It’s a gritty piece of magical realism that’s completely home-grown, rooted in Xhosa cosmology. And it’s set in a mine – a hot, claustrophobic underworld.
The Runaway Bunni Collective has premiered the dramatic thriller, Passages, written by Emma Lungiswa De Wet and directed by Robert Haxton, this Festival. It’s a gritty piece of magical realism that’s completely home-grown, rooted in Xhosa cosmology. And it’s set in a mine – a hot, claustrophobic underworld.
Trapped underground after a cave-in, a team of miners have become convinced that they are not alone down here: they’ve drilled too far, and knocked on a door that shouldn’t be opened. But the bosses above ground won't bring them up until they've reached their quota – 12 500 tonnes.
The piece straddles the world of the mine, where workers struggle for a voice, and that of the shades, who must wait underground, voiceless until they are summoned back by sacrifice and ceremony, to take part in life again.
Passages introduces the fresh lens of grounded African surrealism. Not only an ancestral force to be revered, the spirits we encounter can sometimes be mischievous and playful, and sometimes terrifying.
Still half human, there is room for both horror and humour in their dealings with their descendants.
Described by Cue as “A provocative performance… it’s hilarious at times, yet manages to tell the struggles of South Africa’s mineworkers”.
A versatile, creative cast embodies the citizens, living and dead, of this rich underworld. Performers include Pumelela Nqelenga, Sisonke Yafele and Peter ‘Billy’ Langa.
Performances in the B2 Arena at the 1820 Settlers' Monument are tomorrow at 10am and on Sunday at midday.
