Directed by Vice Motshabi - whose writing credits include Zone 14 - this is a production for all seasons

YOU might have missed this classic in the past, though over the years the play has continued to enjoy popularity at the Market Theatre.

If you missed it before, you have no excuse not to see this classic now because it is on again at Market Theatre.

I am talking about Sizwe Banzi is Dead, which opened last week.

Directed by Vice Motshabi and with the same cast of Omphile Molusi and Arthur Molepo, this is a production for all seasons that one must see. I have seen it several times over the years.

But this time it is directed by a fresh voice in theatre who gives the classic, first directed by Athol Fugard and co-written by John Kani and Winston Tshona, a fresh interpretation.

The play, set in the Styles Photographic Studio, follows Sizwe's quest for survival in the Port Elizabeth of the late 60s to early 70s.

The story is simple and straightforward. Sizwe has been caught without a passbook and must return to King William's Town to his poverty-stricken family or take a chance that could force him to abandon his given name and sense of identity. He is forced to rethink what he believes makes up a man's identity.

Interpreted this time by Motshabi, the recipient of the Naledi Award (2006) for best community theatre production, this gives the play new, fresh insight into the society of the time.

Motshabi is also known for directing plays such as The Sweet Door and The Promised Land of Balalatladi, to mention only two.

He is also an ardent writer, whose writing credits include Zone 14 and The Dead Politician.

While his interpretation of this timeless play puts the emphasis on the issue of identity, which today remains as relevant as it was many years ago, it is clinched by the inclusion of Molepo and Molusi, whose theatrical credits include Robben Island Bible, Itsoseng,Romeo and Juliet, The Mirror and Caucasian Chalk Circle.