A probing portrait of Paton
Veteran actor RALPH LAWSON has just picked up several Naledi awards for a play he co-wrote (with Greg Homann) based on the life of author Alan Paton (Best Lead Performance in a Play, Best New South African script).
opens in Cape Town next month. I knew then that the play could have resonance and meaning for younger audiences too. And, across the board, they haven’t disappointed us.
I have to add that Paton’s prose, which has been described very accurately as “rhapsodic”, is at its best when spoken.
And how much research did you do – was it a very long process?
There was a good two years of research. And I had read much of his writing, autobiographies, novels and poetry before that, which I revisited, of course, and gradually the play began to take shape.
Does the work reveal parts of Paton that you think audiences may not have known about before?
Yes. We dug pretty thoroughly in our search for what, in essence, made him who he was and a startling incident or two came to light. Peter Alexander’s biography was very helpful, as was the biography of his second wife, Anne. This, in fact, provided the other side of the coin as it were, since the play is set during the period when he first met and later married her.
The production has played several locations including the National Arts Festival last year and the Theatre on the Square in Jo’burg. Does winning prestigious Naledi awards mean the play may get more “stage time”?
Yes, we also played at the State Theatre in Pretoria last year. It really was a great honour to receive the three Naledi Awards (actor Menzi Mkhwane also won for Best Newcomer) – and at the stage I’m at in my career it’s particularly meaningful.
And, certainly, it’s a bit like the Oscars, I suppose! It makes audiences aware that we’re here and that they should see our production and perhaps make up their own minds …
What else have you been busy with, recently?
I’m privileged to be kept very busy doing the work I love, acting and also directing, which I seem to do more of lately. Teaching, too. I do a lot of work in KZN, helping to develop community theatre and I’m just about to head the Playhouse Company’s Actors’ Studio, a company for young actors with which we hope to bridge the gap between their tertiary qualification and the profession via advanced training and practical experience.
I’m also set to direct the old evergreen, The Sound of Music at the Playhouse in Durban for the Festive Season.
What was the last live show you saw, and how did you find it?
I thought Sean Bovim’s Romeo’s Kiss simply stunning! I love watching the other disciplines, in this case dance, at work.
What do you like to do to relax?
I like to potter in my garden mostly. And I read a good deal, preferably biographies – always interesting for an actor.
Tell us something about yourself that most people would not know?
I live on a farm in the Klein Karoo where I keep bees. Unlike actors, they don’t answer back... though, like actors, they can sting sometimes!
A Voice I Cannot Silence is at The Fugard Theatre from June 7 to 25. Book: Computicket 0861 915 8000