Interview: Director Oliver Pookrum Says SIZWE BANSI IS DEAD Will Move Audiences at The Matrix Theatre Company

The Matrix Theatre Company opens its 2016-2017 season with Sizwi Bansi is Dead by Athol Fugard on September 23rd in Detroit. It is a powerful play that weaves the story of a man living under apartheid rule in South Africa whose only hope for financially supporting his family means he must relinquish his very name. Director Oliver Pookrum explains the play as "it's an important life affirming experience about the power of perseverance, belief, and having a positive attitude about your future."

"I've seen several of his plays, but this is my first time directing a Fugard play so it's a really powerful learning experience for me," said Pookrum. "He brings a unique voice and most of his plays are about apartheid. It's about man having to carry a card and papers and I was surprised at how much it was like enslavement. They have you show your papers on demand and they control where you stay."

The story takes place in South Africa during the 1970s and focuses on Sizwe Bansi, a man without a proper work permit seeking employment outside his village. Under the strict apartheid laws, black South Africans were unable to participate in free society and lacked freedom of movement from town to town. Without a valid permit, Sizwe has no hope of financially supporting his family. When an opportunity to procure a permit presents itself, he must decide whether or not to accept it, even if it means forever giving up his identity. The play exposes the cruel and arbitrary rules that determine the difficult and often painful choices some people are forced to make in order to survive in an unjust world.

"All the performers in this production are African American male actors and they pull right from their own experiences and occurrences that we see in the news," said Pookrum when asked about tackling the difficult subject matter of the play with his actors. "We have so many instances now that lately have been happening that have sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, that have sparked the police shootings; a big theme of this play is Sizwe running and hiding from authorities who are forcing him back into his area. In rehearsal, we discussed the Sandra Bland video of her being arrested because the situation was similar. Part of the history of this country and in South Africa parallels in that one way to get along well with people in authority is not to show any type of defiance. Everyone knows the people who are experiencing the injustice and the people who are dishing it out that there is a kind of a protocol to how we are going to interact with each other and everybody better play along or it can be very difficult. Forget the fact that you are in complete compliance with the law, unfortunately they have to affirm their inferiority to get out of that situation safely. It is the message this play brought up."

Pookrum has been surrounded by the arts his entire life. He was introduced to theatre while attending Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit. "From kindergarten to eight grade, we did a play every single year on historical figures. Theatre was a tool to educate us. Art was a tool used to inspire, empower, and educate," he said. "It was a unique education of middle class African Americans trying to do something different." He then went on to Cass Tech High School where he studied drama under Marilyn McCormick, the 2016 Excellence in Theatre Education Tony Award winner. "I kept running into these very powerful influences that didn't leave me much choice but do something theatrical." He completed his education with a BFA in theatre at Wayne State University and opened his own company, the Oliver Pookrum Theater Project, in Detroit.

Sizwe Bansi is Dead is a play with deep topics, but Pookrum assures that it is an important piece of theatre and one that will move the audience. "No matter what, Americans always feel that things are going to get better, no matter how bad they are, and this play is really good example of this," he said. "This is a powerful example of how perseverance and positivity pays off in the most difficult circumstances."

Sizwe Bansi is Dead features James Abbott in the title role with Jonathan Jones as Styles and Falah Cannon as Buntu. All three actors are Detroit residents.

Sizwe Bansi is Dead opens Friday, September 23rd at the Matrix Theatre Company in Detroit. For more information, visit www.matrixtheatre.org.