In Swan Song, multiple award-winning South African actor Buhle Ngaba invites audiences into a visceral coming of age journey rooted in mythology, memory, and the aching need to belong. Inspired by the ancient belief that swans sing only once, at the moment of their death, the play follows a young Tswana woman in Johannesburg, born with a winged scapula The production is brought vividly to life within the confines of a tiny flat through the evocative direction of Ilana Cilliers.
Originally conceived during Ngaba's Brett Goldin Bursary at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Song premiered in 2018 and earned her two Kanna Theatre Awards including “Best Upcoming Artist.” The production has since seen sold-out shows at Suidooster Kunstefees (South Africa, 2021), Wiener Festwochen (Vienna, 2022), and the Basel Theater Festival (Switzerland, 2022). Critics have described the production as “a touching, gripping and contemporary solo performance.” Die Presse (Austria) and Ngaba's performance as one that “ lingers long after the final moment—achingly beautiful and fearlessly honest.”. Swan Song is a powerful meditation on identity, loss, and the fierce beauty of having loved at all.
Credits:
Text, Performance : Buhle Ngaba
Director : Ilana Cilliers
Design : Ilana Cilliers, Amy Rusch
Image: Shaun Oelf
With artwork by : Amy Rusch
Production : Nicolette Moses, Maru Factory
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