Water scarcity takes centre stage at the Baxter Theatre
THE Baxter Theatre, with the Staatstheater Augsburg in Germany, has invited the public to the African premiere of a South African and German play, Isingqala Samanzi/The Call of Water, this week.
The play first premiered in Germany at the Augsburg State Theatre, where the audience witnessed the graceful intertwining of play styles, languages and perspectives to depict the global picture of water scarcity and how it could be seen and treasured from a different point of view.
Baxter Theatre spokesperson Fahiem Stellenboom said: “In this play, the world-famous fountain figures of the Augustus Fountain in Augsburg, Germany, meet Inkomo Yamanzi (the cow that brings water), and Roman deities meet ancestor worship. What at first glance could hardly be more different, on closer inspection proves to be less of a contrast than an affinity of essence.”
The performance allows the audience to reflect on the severe water shortage experienced during Cape Town’s drought in 2018, and the way the resource has shaped urban architecture and history in Augsburg for centuries, where it is available in abundance. Stellenboom said both these instances illustrated how carefully water should be handled by all in the 21st century.
The play incorporates the use of puppets, handmade by the Cape Town Ukwanda Puppet Company. Performers and artists, Siphokazi Mpofu, Sipho Ngxola and Luyanda Nogodlwana, of the Ukwanda Puppetry and Design Collective, were invited to collaborate with the Staatstheater Augsburg on the project.
Mpofu said: “The audience in Augsburg were positive and very encouraging. They loved the theme and topic which deals with water, which has become a universal concern.
“As the world faces the problem of water scarcity, it’s important that we educate people now and create water awareness. They also loved the puppets so much.”
He said the central message of the play was about water heritage, how important it was, the need to take care of this precious resource, and that everyone had the right to receive it.
The play was written by Andreas Hillger and directed by Dorothea Schroeder. It has an ensemble of six performers – three South Africans and three Germans, which include the three artists from Ukwanda, as well as Thomas Prazak, Karoline Stegemann and Franziska Rattay.
The play is being performed at the Baxter Flipside. There will be four performances from September 22 until September 24 at 8pm, with a 4pm matinée on Saturday. Tickets are R180 and R150 for group block bookings of 10 or more, students and senior citizens.