Alexander Upstairs to Present Jemma Kahn's Kamishibai Memoir IN BOCCA AL LUPO

Jemma Kahn's kamishibai memoir IN BOCCA AL LUPO will play a week-long season at the Alexander Bar, Café and Theatre this July. Written by Kahn with Tertius Kapp, this is Kahn's third kamishibai show, following THE EPICENE BUTCHER and WE DIDN'T COME TO HELL FOR THE CROISSANTS.

IN BOCCA AL LUPO is a graphic, candid and whimsical journey across three continents, using four story boxes, one giant cicada, a naked Catholic or two, and one golden surprise. Using simple but beautifully drawn images displayed on cardboard story panels, Kahn has spent the last four years captivating audiences from Cape Town to Edinburgh to Amsterdam with her unique take on the 12th-century Japanese art form, kamishibai. The effect is like watching a sort of live manga cartoon, her sheer verve in combination with all the elements at play creating an utterly original and sometimes bizarre theatre experience that is a joyous tribute to visual and verbal storytelling.

Like Kahn's two shows before it, IN BOCCA AL LUPO brings together a truly wonderful creative team. Jane Taylor directs the production, which features illustrations by Kahn, sound design by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, lighting design by Themba Stewart and costume design by Ella Buter. The 80-minute presentation premiered at the National Arts Festival in 2016, produced by POPArt Productions and Jemma Kahn, in association with the National Arts Festival and Arts and Culture Trust and Nedbank Arts Affinity.

IN BOCCA AL LUPO is not for the faint hearted or the easily offended. The production runs at the Alexander Upstairs from 24 - 29 July at 19:00 nightly. Tickets are available from the Alexander Bar website, with seats costing R110 if booked and prepaid online or R130 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.