Good man's wise words
WHEN it comes to theatre, especially of the progressive type, one name immediately springs to mind - Athol Fugard.
A progressive man of immense theatrical talent and the writer of several plays that represent a good body of theatrical classics, Fugard has had the distinction of a visiting professorship at two of the UK's most prestigious universities.
Now the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town is sharing the theatrical wisdom of this man by screening the 13 recorded lectures he gave at the universities last year.
The Fugard Theatre is hosting free lunch-hour screenings of the lectures as part of his Humanitas Visiting Professorship at Oxford and Cambridge University.
The lectures, recorded at Oxford, will be screened at the Fugard Theatre at 1pm on January 24, 26, 28 and 31, as well as on February 2 and 4.
Humanitas is a series of 20 Visiting Professorships at Oxford and Cambridge, intended to host leading practitioners and scholars at both the universities to address major themes in the arts, social sciences and humanities.
Fugard was the first Humanitas Visiting Professor of Drama at Oxford University, thanks to a sponsorship by Eric Abraham, founding producer of the Fugard Theatre in District 6, Cape Town.
Fugard took part in panel discussions, masterclasses, film screenings and lectures.
The sessions will be screened in 90-minute sessions.
On January 24 and 31, at 1pm, the session screened will be on Play writing - The Process, with Fugard in conversation with leading British playwrights Jez Butterworth and Rebecca Lenkiewicz.
On January 26 and February 2 at 1pm the session screened will be on Playing Fugard, with Fugard in conversation with South African actors Janet Suzman and John Kani.
On January 28 and February 4 at 1pm the session screened will be the Humanitas Inaugural Keynote Lecture, with Fugard reflecting on the defining moments in his life and work.
The current production at the Fugard Theatre is Die Kaptien se Tier, Antjie Krog's Afrikaans translation of Fugard's most personal play. The play is directed by the very talented Janice Honeyman.