WHEN Athol Furgard, Winston Ntshona and John Kani wrote the classic play Sizwe Banzi is Dead, they were inspired by the political conflicts at the time.
It premiered in 1972 at the Space Theatre, Cape Town, with Kani as Style and Buntu and Ntshona as Robert and Sizwe.
Four decades later, the story of Sizwe Banzi is still relevant.
Young actors Atandwa Kani, son of play director John Kani, and Mncedisi Shabangu act in the play which opens on Wednesday at the Market Theatre in Newtown, Joburg.
The play is about Sizwe Banzi who assumes a dead man's identity after his dompas (the reference book black people were required to carry under apartheid) expired, forcing him to go back to his home village.
Kani says the play was inspired by real-life experiences. "We were motivated by the political situation.
"We witnessed our fathers being treated like boys, and our mothers called girls."
Atandwa and Shabangu have done justice to the play, making it difficult for anyone to compare their skills to those of original actors.
This is obvious as Time Out joins Kani at the rehearsals in Newtown. He looks satisfied as Atandwa tackles the role of Bantu, while Shabangu portrays Sizwe.
After 95 minutes, the actors take a break, and Kani gives his feedback. As we speak on the sidelines, he admits it's a marvel to watch the two actors in action.
"These two young people are bloody good actors. I'm happy with their performance," he enthuses.
The two actors acknowledge that the world will scrutinise their performance given the family ties between the Kanis. Atandwa gets annoyed that some people think he got the role because he is Kani's son.
"It is pure hard work. We are trying to do the play to the best of our ability," he says.
"Since I started acting, people keep comparing me to my father. And they keep repeating that Dr Kani is my father, I have known the man for 30 years."
Shabangu says when they are rehearsing, Kani is a different man altogether. He says there is no father and son relationship.
"He respects us as actors. It is the treatment that kept peace in this play." Father and son agreed that Kani the director is a perfectionist, and doesn't want anything below his standards.
Atandwa, the self-proclaimed Prince of Theatre points out that he is not playing his father's role, but he is an actor creating his own role.
Shabangu, who calls himself "The Maestro" believes that the play tackles the issue of identity.
"Here is a man who wants to earn an honest living, but the stamp [on his dompas] has expired and he must go back to King William's Town, within three days otherwise he will be deported," Shabangu says.
Atandwa plays multiple characters. He explains that these are simple theatre tricks and mechanisms, which others fail to do.
bambalelep@sowetan.co.za
'Sizwe Banzi' given new life on stage
WHEN Athol Furgard, Winston Ntshona and John Kani wrote the classic play Sizwe Banzi is Dead, they were inspired by the political conflicts at the time.
It premiered in 1972 at the Space Theatre, Cape Town, with Kani as Style and Buntu and Ntshona as Robert and Sizwe.
Four decades later, the story of Sizwe Banzi is still relevant.
Young actors Atandwa Kani, son of play director John Kani, and Mncedisi Shabangu act in the play which opens on Wednesday at the Market Theatre in Newtown, Joburg.
The play is about Sizwe Banzi who assumes a dead man's identity after his dompas (the reference book black people were required to carry under apartheid) expired, forcing him to go back to his home village.
Kani says the play was inspired by real-life experiences. "We were motivated by the political situation.
"We witnessed our fathers being treated like boys, and our mothers called girls."
Atandwa and Shabangu have done justice to the play, making it difficult for anyone to compare their skills to those of original actors.
This is obvious as Time Out joins Kani at the rehearsals in Newtown. He looks satisfied as Atandwa tackles the role of Bantu, while Shabangu portrays Sizwe.
After 95 minutes, the actors take a break, and Kani gives his feedback. As we speak on the sidelines, he admits it's a marvel to watch the two actors in action.
"These two young people are bloody good actors. I'm happy with their performance," he enthuses.
The two actors acknowledge that the world will scrutinise their performance given the family ties between the Kanis. Atandwa gets annoyed that some people think he got the role because he is Kani's son.
"It is pure hard work. We are trying to do the play to the best of our ability," he says.
"Since I started acting, people keep comparing me to my father. And they keep repeating that Dr Kani is my father, I have known the man for 30 years."
Shabangu says when they are rehearsing, Kani is a different man altogether. He says there is no father and son relationship.
"He respects us as actors. It is the treatment that kept peace in this play." Father and son agreed that Kani the director is a perfectionist, and doesn't want anything below his standards.
Atandwa, the self-proclaimed Prince of Theatre points out that he is not playing his father's role, but he is an actor creating his own role.
Shabangu, who calls himself "The Maestro" believes that the play tackles the issue of identity.
"Here is a man who wants to earn an honest living, but the stamp [on his dompas] has expired and he must go back to King William's Town, within three days otherwise he will be deported," Shabangu says.
Atandwa plays multiple characters. He explains that these are simple theatre tricks and mechanisms, which others fail to do.
bambalelep@sowetan.co.za
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