Another Kind of Dying prizes collaborative storytelling

The union of interactive media and a solid story seems to be the winning formula when it comes to virtual plays. This year’s Distell National Playwright piece, Another Kind of Dying, pairs a simple and effective narrative with 360° video to brilliant ends.

Based on the competition’s winning script by Amy Louise Wilson, the play has been adapted for the virtual realm, allowing viewers to, quite literally, immerse themselves in the centre of it all. Following the death of his father, protagonist Silumko embarks on a journey – both literal and emotional – from rural Eastern Cape to the bustling city of Johannesburg. Simply put, it’s a story about loss, bravery, remembrance, and the human spirit. The reimagining of this project is the result of a stellar group of artists. Translation of Wilson’s script from English to isiXhosa is by way of lead actor Aphiwe Livi, video magic is courtesy of Francois Knoetze, a rich and intuitive soundscape comes from duo Dumama + Kechou, and direction of the piece is by Joanna Evans.

The play begins in watery, digital darkness, where you wade around for a while before encountering Silumko in all of his 3D volumetric tangibility. Livi delivers a sparse and punchy monologue that is not without its poetry, while the world forms and falls apart around him (and you). Buildings tumble in reverse, composing themselves from dust and rubble, while concrete, four-legged behemoths heave in the distance.

Another scene situates you high above the Johannesburg CBD, peering down at the Anstey’s building and the gridlocked traffic below, and watching the light reflecting off the glass façade of the old JSE. The Eastern Cape features, too, replete with whirling aloes and vast open stretches of grassland.

The latter is a site where each of the collaborative components of Another Kind of Dying come together to present a particularly beautiful bit of theatre, merging movement, music, film, and the gentle crackle and hiss of a young man’s radio that’s full of stories and music.

Oftentimes, 360° films can prove to be overwhelming in their material and make-up, resulting in a sense that something crucial has always just slipped by one’s field of vision. Not so with this work. Another Kind of Dying is a virtual performance that, despite its many moving parts, allows its script and multi-media components to shine through in equal measure. It’s a performance that encourages you to simultaneously engage with its narrative, and explore the limits of its virtual reality – from quiet stretches of farmland to the dizzying heights of an inner-city rooftop – at a gentle and deliberate pace.

Watch Another Kind of Dying here.

Production credits:

Written by Amy Louise Wilson
Translated by Aphiwe Livi
Performed by Aphiwe Livi
Direction by Joanna Evans
Video by Francois Knoetze
Music by Dumama + Kechou