Play’s cast honour activists
THE CAST of the acclaimed local production The Fall have dedicated their two recent awards and their performances at the Edinburgh Assembly Fringe Festival to movements working to dismantle statues, systems and structures of oppression around the world.
The cast yesterday arrived back in Cape Town from the Edinburgh Assembly Fringe Festival in Scotland after scooping two awards.
The production was awarded the fringe first at this year’s Scotsman awards, presented weekly and designed to encourage performers to bring new work to Edinburgh in the spirit of adventure and experiment. The Scotsman Fringe First awards celebrate the best new writing on the Fringe.
The cast also received the stage acting award for their performances by the seven-strong ensemble, beating more than 200 other shows.
The Fall is a vital and frank collaborative piece of workshop theatre, with seven UCT drama graduates sharing their experiences during the#RhodesMustFall, #FeesMustFall and subsequent student movement demonstrations in 2015 and 2016.
The play is facilitated by Clare Stopford and curated by Ameera Conrad and Thando Mangcu, two members of the ensemble, and the dynamic cast is made up of Conrad, Mangcu, Oarabile Ditsele, Zandlie Madliwa, Sizwesandile Mnisi, Sihle Mnqwazana and Cleo Raatus.
The cast said: “In light of current events in the United States, we, the cast of The Fall, would like to dedicate both of our awards and the rest of our performances here at the Edinburgh Assembly Fringe Festival to all activists and movements working towards the dismantling of systems, structures and symbols of oppression.
“It begins with the removal of the statues and will end with the removal of all systems which oppress marginalised voices, voices of women, voices of the LGBTQIAP+ community, voices of people of colour, voices of the differently abled.
“We stand firm and resolute in our call for decolonisation in our country and across the world.”
The Fall has also received four five-star reviews from The Stage, All Edinburgh Theatre, British Theatre Guide and Sunday Express, and was shortlisted for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award, which celebrates excellence in an Edinburgh Festival Fringe production with an inspiring human rights message.
Baxter Theatre Centre chief executive and artistic director Lara Foot said: “On April 9, 2015, the iconic statue of Cecil John Rhodes was, once and for all, removed from the UCT campus.
“This was the result of tenacious and brave protests from the fallist movement, who were, and still are, driven to decolonise education in South Africa.
“The cast went into development and meticulously chiselled out a complex and vital text, and in October 2016 the play opened. It immediately struck a chord and caused a sensation at the Baxter Theatre.
“The play lifted a veil on the unspoken truth of so many thousands of students, their hardships, their realities and the pain suffered by so many.”
The Fall comes to the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio for a short season from September 12-21 before heading off to the Royal Court Theatre in London.
shares experiences of the student movement demonstrations