University of Cape Town: World premiere of JM Coetzee’s ‘Life and Times of Michael K’
The Baxter Theatre Centre is proud to announce its most ambitious and exciting production in recent years, the world premiere of Nobel Prize-winning author JM Coetzee’s Life and Times of Michael K, adapted for the stage by Lara Foot, in collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company.
The highly anticipated co-production between The Baxter, Theater der Welt Düsseldorf 2020, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, debuts from 7 to 19 June 2021, and brings together some of South Africa’s most revered, multi-award-winning artists.
Written and directed by Foot, it is the largest and most illustrious undertaking by the theatre over the past decade and is the culmination of two years of planning. It marks the first time that Foot will be working with the Tony award-winning Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler from the hit production War Horse, along with a formidable cast and creative team.
South African theatre legends Sandra Prinsloo and Andrew Buckland lead the impressive cast comprising Fansiwa Yisa, puppet master Craig Leo, Roshina Ratnam, Carlo Daniels, Marty Kintu, Billy Langa, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe, along with German puppeteer Markus Schabbing.
The hauntingly beautiful story follows Michael K, who embarks on a journey through South Africa, ravaged by civil war, to return his mother to die on the farm, where she was born.
Epic in scale, Life and Times of Michael K, is a multi-layered theatrical staging that combines puppetry, performance, film and evocative music, bringing to life Coetzee’s Booker Prize-winning novel.
The production was invited to debut at the Theater der Welt festival at the Düsseldorf Theatre in Germany in June last year. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown and travel restrictions, the festival was postponed to 2021. With the uncertainty of travel bans currently impacting many countries, the organisers decided to open in South Africa at The Baxter, with plans to transfer to the Theater der Welt festival when restrictions are lifted.
‘Hauntingly beautiful’
The hauntingly beautiful story follows Michael K, a simple man who embarks on a journey through South Africa, ravaged by civil war, to return his mother to die on the farm, where she was born. He finds strength in his own humanity, his profound connection to the earth and his unique path which, as it unfolds, reveals to him, his reason for living.
The creative team is made up of Handspring Puppet Company (puppet directors, design and makers), Patrick Curtis (set design) Kyle Shepherd (original music composition), Joshua Cutts (lighting), Fiona McPherson and Barrett de Kock (directors of photography and film), Yoav Dagan (videography and editing), Kirsti Cumming (projection design), Phyllis Midlane (costumes) and Simon Kohler (sound design).
Seating is limited and all performances will be limited to 250 capacity, with COVID-19 protocols in place as regulated at Adjusted Level 1 during the national state of disaster. These include the availability of hand sanitisers, tracking and tracing recorded, wearing of masks and physical distancing. Patrons and audience members are advised to arrive at least an hour before the start of the performance to avoid delays.
Life and Times of Michael K, runs at the Baxter Theatre from 7 to 19 June at 19:00 nightly, with Saturday matinees on 12 and 19 June and Wednesday 16 June at 14:00.
Booking is through Webtickets on 086 111 0005, online at www.webtickets.co.za or at any Pick n Pay store. For discounted school or group block bookings, fundraisers or charities contact Leon van Zyl on 021 680 3972 or email [email protected] or Carmen Kearns on 021 680 3993 or email her at [email protected].