The award-winning playwright-director Tiisetso Mashifane's production, Neighbourhood is set to tackle the hard topic of the South African housing crisis through a research-based play.
Making its debut at the Baxter Studio from August 2-24, the show with a stellar cast of theatre heavyweights, raise an awareness about the lack of adequate housing.
The riveting story investigates the lingering effects of spatial apartheid in the ongoing fight for land justice and affordable housing in urban areas.
Performed in English, Sepedi, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, this multilingual and pressing story is written and directed by Mashifane, recent winner of the Fleur du Cap Best New South African Script award and features a vibrant young cast composed of members of the Baxter's Fires Burning company, Awethu Hleli, Carlo Daniels, Lyle October, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe, Tamzin Williams, Carla Smith and Jock Kleynhans.
While the topic of land injustice is not one of the most appealing topics to build a creative staged production about, the challenge to create the narrative was put forward to the writer when Baxter Theatre CEO and artistic director Lara Foot, in conversation with land and housing activist Ndifuna Ukwazi, challenged her to investigate the SA housing crisis through a research-based play.
Mashifane told Weekend Argus: “In early 2023, Lara Foot called me one afternoon and said, ‘I have something for you to look at’.”
She had been in conversation with Ndifuna Ukwazi about building occupations in urban areas and she was concerned and thought that a play had to be made about this.
She very kindly thought it would be up my alley because it was a story that required a strong research component.
And listen, any chance I can get to put my Carte Blanche or 3rd Degree hat on, I'm there for it. Call me Devi Sankaree Govender because I'm on the case.”
While the production seems seamless, Mashifane says there were challenges with the research.
“It's one thing to find fictional characters and you go down rabbit holes discovering things about their lives, it's something else completely to have a life that has already been lived, is still living and exists in a particular way depending on particular politics.
“I'd leave after interviewing people like I had a diamond in my bag and everyone knew it.
“So that was what was the most challenging part, sitting with people's lives and knowing that it's your job to tell the story to others, for others, but it's exhilarating too because, like Viola Davis said, ‘Being an artist is the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life', and wow, what an honour that is,” she said.
The play follows the relationship between two fictional neighbourhoods, Lindela, an informal settlement that sees many of its community members travel to and from, and Everwood, an upper middle-class suburb, with better work and education opportunities.
After multiple cries for affordable housing within the neighbourhood, the Lindela community members take matters into their own hands and move into Everwood to become neighbours to those they serve.
Tickets to “Neighbourhood” are available via Webtickets and range from R150 to R170.