Be A Better Dog comes to state theatre

From October 1 to 6, the South African State Theatre in association with African Tree Productions will be staging the critically acclaimed one-hander, Be A Better Dog, written by Makhubalo Ikanena and directed and performed by Seiphemo Motswiri.

The play takes a lighthearted approach to encourage people to self-introspect, by offering a fresh perspective of the humans’ world through the eyes of a dog.

Be A Better Dog is a re-enactment of a dog’s life with its commentary on several social issues from interaction with its various owners.

The play uses light commentary to voice sensitive issues of class, care and abandonment.

The actor interchanges into multiple characters, including that of a dog to tell a dog’s tale. As a dog, he grapples with questions such as to what extent is he a happy animal, and to what extent is he a traumatised orphan of human-caused condition?

Is any of it his own doing and what power does he have to change the situation?

Motswiri believes that “the play asks poignant questions that are relevant to a human world that is at crossroads with questions of destructive violence, corruption, injustice, racial discrimination, lack of care for the planet in and its inhabitants in general”.

“In life we strive to be better human beings, but what does it mean to be better?” Motswiri asks.

The production was part of New York United Solo festival in 2018 where it received rave reviews and critical acclaim.