Alexander Bar's Upstairs Theatre to Host BLACK, Penelope Youngleson's Adaptation of Acclaimed CA Davids Novel

BLACK, Penelope Youngleson's adaptation of the acclaimed CA Davids novel, THE BLACKS OF CAPE TOWN, will run at the Alexander Bar, Café and Theatre as part of the 2017 POPUpstairs season this December. Directed and produced by Jade Bowers, the hour-long play is performed by Ameera Patel and features the compositions of Daniel Geddes.

In an officious letter from the South African government, Zara learns that once-sealed documents that implicate her father in an act which was committed against the anti-apartheid movement decades earlier will soon be released to the public. The letter becomes the start of a journey into Zara's past. The narrative, in split chapter form, shifts between past and present, from New Jersey where Zara finds herself alone and displaced, to South Africa of the past and present. Her task is great, and she grapples with constructing a history for herself and her family from between fragmented recollections and family lore.

Youngleson, a Gold Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning theatre-maker, has written an adaptation for of the Davids novel for the stage that aims to balance the poetry and pain of discovery intricately while unpacking history and the drama of family politics. It will see accomplished actress Patel, who won the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for SCORCHED, tackling her first solo play, under the directorial hand of Bowers. Bowers was the recipient of the 2016 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Drama and the Naledi Theatre Award winner of Best Director of a Play for her production of SCORCHED.

Choosing, as always, to highlight stories which are not part of the mainstream canon, Bowers considers:

At this important moment in our country's history, how do we as South Africans - with our multitude of cultures and lived experiences - look at our past to understand our present and future?

BLACK runs from 11 - 17 December at 19:00 nightly, with additional shows on 15 December at 21:00 and 17 December at 16:00 Tickets are available from the Alexander Bar website, with seats costing R90 if booked and prepaid online or R100 if paid on collection at the bar. For telephone enquiries, call 021 300 1652. The Alexander Bar, Café and Theatre is situated at 76 Strand Street in the Cape Town city centre and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

POPUpstairs is a partnership between POPArt and The Alexander Bar aimed at facilitating the touring and exchange of awesome productions between Joburg and Cape Town.

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