‘What Remains’ makes no bones about city’s slave history
WHAT Remains, the new play from multiple award-winning writer Nadia Davids, comes to Cape Town after being part of the main programme at the National Arts Festival.
It will be performed at Hiddingh Hall, Orange Street, following its run in Grahamstown at Graeme College.
Davids’s first new play on the continentin nine years, What Remains is directed by Jay Pather and stars Denise Newman, Faniswa Yisa, Shaun Oelf and Buhle Ngaba. The choreography is by Pather.
On a still, cool day in the east of a city by the sea, there are three sounds: a bulldozer’s engine, a forgotten song, a cannon that tells the time. Behind the bulldozer, a sign: Luxury Mall Coming Soon. As the vehicle moves in to clear ground, it strikes something unexpected.
What Remains is a captivating fusion of text, dance and movement to tell a story about an unexpected uncovering of a slave burial ground in Cape Town, the archaeological dig that follows and a city haunted by the memory of slavery.
When the bones emerge from the ground everyone in the city – slave descendants, archaeologists, citizens, property developers – are forced to reckon with a history sometimes remembered, sometimes forgotten.
What Remains is a journey through memory and magic, of the uncanny and the known, between waking and dreaming, and of paintings and protests. Four figures –The Archaeologist, The Healer, The Dancer and The Student – move between bones and books, archives and madness, as they try to reconcile the past with the present.
“This is a play about history, memory, magic and the now,” Davids said.
“Slavery in the Cape is a history full of silence and unresolved sorrow. And unresolved histories have a way of making themselves known. It is a play about how history erupts and disrupts the present.”
She added: “I’ve always admired Jay Pather’s work; the seamless, yet provocative, way he forges connections and relationships between landscapes, the body, place and agency. I am thrilled that he agreed to collaborate on this text-based play, to bring it to life in his signature style and create a truly unique piece of theatre.
“It’s a privilege, too, to see the work performed by Denise Newman, Faniswa Yisa, Buhle Ngaba and Shaun Oelf. They are all incredible, captivating performers who work deeply and sensitively with the material.
Pather said: “Nadia Davids’s writing vividly transports us through multiple times and spaces, capturing the vertigo that characterises living in South Africa today. This ebb and flow of memory, moving back and forth from the aching, resurging past and the turbulent present allows us a way to look at the complexity of the modern moment with fresh lenses.
“The elegance, weight and precision of the text reads like a choreography. In this sense I thrived on the endless possibilities for
The play tells a story with a captivating fusion of text, dance and movement
imagery, and kinetic connections. With a cast that brings a richness of talent, experience, emotional depth as well as political sophistication, this fast-paced, complex work was a pleasure and a privilege to direct.”
What Remains will be performed from July 6 to 12 at 8pm (with a matinée on Saturday, July 8, at 2pm and a performance on Sunday, July 9, at 6pm) at Hiddingh Hall, Orange Street. Limited seating, booking is essential. Ample parking next to the venue. Age advisory: 10 years +. Tickets cost R120 and can be booked at Webtickets: www.webtickets.co.za
The production will run at the National Arts Festival where it will be staged at Graeme College from tomorrow until Saturday. This work was made possible by the generous support of the Leverhulme Trust. Davids acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Queen Mary University of London, and University of Cape Town Drama Department during the development of the production.