LILY'S LAMENT, Inspired by Mine Tragedies, at the Rosebank Theatre

In February, South Africa woke up to the tragic news that three mine workers were trapped underground in a container when a shaft gave way, effectively swallowing them under tons of soil. Efforts to rescue the trapped workers proved futile and nearly five months later, their bodies remain trapped in the ground below. LILY'S LAMENT is a theatrical reflection of the trapped mine workers' story: an ode to the rigors of time, a meditation on fate, chance, luck and (mis)fortune.

Working underground is risky business. The earth can give way as and when it chooses. LILY'S LAMENT is the story of Sponono, a recently married miner who, along with his wife, is swallowed by the hungry earth.

The play does not seek to be a factual account of the tragedy; rather, it will attempt to explore the empty moments that occur when waiting for death. If Samuel Beckett's WAITING FOR GODOT used the suspension of time in order to reveal the banality of time, LILY'S LAMENT will rather use this William Faulkner quotation as a starting point:

Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.

Starring a cast of three, this play attempts like the works of Dambudzo Marechera to "be caught in the middle of the scream." The company includes Luthando Mthi, a seasoned performer who has worked for the Isango Ensemble, and newcomers Khotso K. Manaka and Philasande Goniwe, who have amassed training and experience working for Isu Elisha in the Eastern Cape and Soweto. Director Tshepo ya Rona devotes his time working with farmworkers in the Cedarberg region and runs performance workshops in the Eastern Cape.

LILY'S LAMENT opens on 27 July and runs until the 6th August at the Rosebank Theatre. Shows start at 19:30, with Saturday matinees at 15:00. Tickets costing R100 - with a R60 concession price for students and pensioners - are available at the door and online through Webtickets.