RAISING DUST, presented by City Varsity. Student theatre. A workshop production written and directed by Luke Ellenbogen. (Gymnasium, today at 6.30pm and tomorrow at noon)
Reviewed by Brett Adkins
THERE can be little criticism that this student offering is not about as relevant as you can possibly get.
Set in a hypothetical society where a kind of police state parades as a mock democracy, the script is as fresh as today‘s headlines and the parallels with the latest developments in embattled Zimbabwe could not be more glaringly obvious.
Still, this workshopped politicised piece makes other sly observations which also poke a satirical finger at South African leadership and even that of other foreign countries.
Fifteen final-year drama students bring the story of citizens rising up against authoritarian rule and brutality, to life in an eclectic mix of physical theatre, singing, dancing, storytelling and puppetry which at times might initially suffer from being too multi-media, but which eventually works given the broad spectrum of social issues that it covers.
The central figure is Lila, who is “raising the dust” because of the unjust laws governing those around her – her co-workers, family and friends – who are subject to continuous harassment by Gestapo-like guards.
The youthful ensemble gels well together – there is an abundance of energy and their singing, movement and characterisation are solid and consistent.
The wittiest aspects of the production are the news bulletins and weather reports (which at times become cleverly interchangeable) that are presented with puppets (complete with a sign language assistant).
At just over an hour, the play is a slim, sharp observation of society‘s ills as manifested when leadership goes rotten, and what any society must ultimately do in order to rise above its circumstances.
It may be protest theatre, in a sense – but really, it‘s everyman‘s theatre.
Tags: student theatre
