ONCE UPON A TEACUP to Make Johannesburg Debut at Theatre on the Square
Jessica Haines' one-woman show, directed by James Cunningham, blends shadow theatre and puppetry.
After its world premiere in Sri Lanka and a production at the Hilton Arts Festival in KwaZulu-Natal last August, Jessica Haines' one-woman show Once Upon a Teacup will make its Johannesburg debut at Theatre on the Square, Sandton, from 28 July to 1 August.
Written and performed by Haines and directed by multi-award-winning theatre-maker James Cunningham, Once Upon a Teacup is a 70-minute work of physical, visual, and shadow theatre.
It follows Violet – a young girl growing up in Africa – through the landscape of childhood imagination and into the pressures of the modern world. The script, written entirely in rhyming couplets, weaves together light, shadow, object puppetry, movement, and a sparse collection of props to conjure a world that is tender, darkly funny, and deeply moving.
“Once Upon a Teacup begins on a farm in KZN and I hope audiences will recognise the many character archetypes that I bring to life,” says Haines. “The play explores the notion and power of imagination and the toll it takes under pop culture constructs, social media, and the inevitable pressure of growing up. Violet's mental health is compromised and she soon finds herself in a dark and unpredictable place, only to be rescued by the concept of home and the memories of her childhood. I'm hoping the story reawakens the child in everyone – the lost ability to play, create, and fully invest in the colourful and crazy world of our imagination, which is so often diluted by the fast pulse of adulthood.”
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