Award-winning A VOICE I CANNOT SILENCE Set for the Fugard Theatre Studio in June

Winner of three Naledi awards, the acclaimed play about Alan Paton, A VOICE I CANNOT SILENCE, will make its Cape Town bow at The Fugard Theatre Studio in June. Producer Sue Clarence comments, "We are honoured to be premiering this play in Cape Town at the namesake Theatre of another of South Africa's iconic writers."

Originally funded by the National Arts Festival and the South African State Theatre, and produced by The Arts Trust of South Africa, A VOICE I CANNOT SILENCE is written by Greg Homann and Ralph Lawson. It is a moving and empathetic personal examination of life as portrayed through Paton's own words, stories, poems, and autobiographies. It highlights the invaluable contribution made by the author of Cry, the Beloved Country, who was, in the words of Douglas Livingstone, a 'lighthouse in the South African twilight' during the dark decades leading up to the country's constitutional democracy. Paton's internationally recognised gifts of lyric verse, evocative prose and vibrant story telling are combined to create a richly dramatic portrait.

The play focuses on the various watersheds in the author's life - his years as Principal of Diepkloof Reformatory, the "toughest black borstal in the southern hemisphere"; his position as President of the Liberal Party that led to harassment and a ten year period; his indomitable belief in and daunting struggle for human rights; and the complexities of his personal relationships.

Sometimes satirical, often wryly amusing and redolent with Paton's profound love of nature and the devout Anglicanism that sustained him, A VOICE I CANNOT SILENCE reveals a complex man who was haunted by the injustices of South African society.

The cast includes Ralph Lawson as Alan Paton, Clare Mortimer as his secretary, Anne, Hopkins and Menzi Mkhwane as the young man, Sponono. The stellar creative team includes director Greg Homann (BROTHERS IN BLOOD, DELIRIUM), set designer Nadya Cohen, lighting designer Michael Broderick and soundscape designer Evan Roberts.

At the recent Naledi Theatre Awards, A VOICE I CANNOT SILENCE was nominated for no fewer than eight Naledi Theatre Awards. Lawson won the award for Best Lead Performance in a Play (Male), Mkhwane the award for Best Newcomer, and Homann and Lawson the award for Best New SA Script.

A VOICE I CANNOT SILENCE, which carries an age restriction of PG13, will run at The Fugard Theatre Studio from 7 - 25 June on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 20:00, with 16:00 matinees on Saturdays. Tickets to the previews on 7 and 8 June cost R120, with other performances costing R160. For groups of ten or more, tickets cost R150. Bookings can be made at Computicket or the Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554.