{"id":2714,"date":"2018-06-30T11:51:31","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T10:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/?p=2714"},"modified":"2020-10-14T12:48:39","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T11:48:39","slug":"lebitso-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/?p=2714","title":{"rendered":"Lebitso (\u2018Name\u2019): Rooted in the experimental"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Cast & crew of Lebitso (‘Name’) by AFDA Johannesburg students. Image supplied.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lebitso <\/em>is experimental, non-linear, a bit wild and it\u2019s well refreshing to see young theatre-makers (students of AFDA Johannesburg) stepping out to create something that likely won\u2019t go down as a crowd pleaser with the general public.<\/p>\n

Suspended from the roof, and semi-circling the stage are metre-wide strips of long brown paper gathered in a pile on the ground. These are played with, transformed into props, dragged hither and thither across the stage, are used to create some kind of netherworld\u2026 it\u2019s a visual spectacle and the cast doesn\u2019t allow this prominent feature to be mere backdrop.<\/p>\n

I reckon most significantly, these long, brown, imposing strips evoke tendril-like imagery. And given the thematic exploration of where one comes from and what makes one who one is; this backdrop becomes heavy deep-digging roots.<\/p>\n

Our roots, our heritage, given such importance in defining identity. Lebitso <\/em>takes a shovel and trowel to this idea, attempting to unearth the complexities of identity and finding belonging in this mad world.<\/p>\n

Each performer bristles with passion and intensity. It\u2019s not easy to hold an audience in this kind of work that rejects a linear exposition and, quite frankly, is quite weird. But these performers somehow create access for us\u2026 and so we do care about young Lebitso\u2019s journey to discover what identity means to him.<\/p>\n

Some issues. The \u2018atmospheric\u2019 singing: it wasn\u2019t clear if it was meant to be discordant or if the disharmony was in error. The paper: at times the rustling brown paper overrides the voices and we lose some lines \u2013 the performers are projecting and have powerful voices\u2026 but that paper is loud.<\/p>\n

Lebitso (\u2018Name\u2019)<\/em> did leave me a little lost in places and I\u2019d ask for more crafting and nuance in the scenes containing repetition\u2026<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m happy I experienced it, and I\u2019m happy that the future of theatre-making and visual theatre is in these hands. They\u2019re courageous and determined and contributing to the art<\/em> of theatre.<\/p>\n

Lebitso (\u2018Name\u2019) has one last show today (30.06) at 12.30. Click here<\/a> for more information, to book or tickets at the door.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Credits:
\nAFDA Johannesburg<\/em>
\n Featuring: Reem Koussa, Matthew Dalton, Bulumko Ngubo, Palmira Obadias, Senani Mamorare<\/em>
\n Directors: Tshepang Moticoe, Ragni Halle<\/em>
\n Choreography: Matthew Dalton<\/em>
\n Design: Senani Mamorare<\/em>
\n Stage Manager: Bulumko Ngubo<\/em>
\n Costume, Makeup, and Styling: Nobuhle Zulu<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lebitso is experimental, non-linear, a bit wild and it\u2019s well refreshing to see young theatre-makers (students of AFDA Johannesburg) stepping out to create something that likely won\u2019t go down as … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10,11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2714"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4336,"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714\/revisions\/4336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecritter.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}