Unmarked: The Politics of Performance, Peggy Phelan. London: Routtedge, 1993. xi + 207 pp., figures, notes, bibliography, index.

Unmarked: The Politics of Performance

This grim, somewhat apocalyptic news is broken by an understated doomsayer named David Wilcove. In No Way Home, Wilcove lucidly describes the journeys of some familiar migratory superstars: monarch butterflies making their generational round trip between the northern United States and the mountains of Mexico, right whales dodging boats and fishing nets as they navigate the shipping lanes off our Northeast coast, already over-fished salmon blocked by dams, and wildebeests whose wild African territory has become no more than an oversized zoo.

Long Day’s Journey into Night 연구

2013 was a good year for South African literature, particularly for fiction. A wide range of novels were published; there was an increase in the short stories in print; strong new voices emerged and many books gained both popular and critical attention within South Africa and internationally. A number of authors who impressed with their debuts have now followed up with strong second or third novels. Names such as Lauren Beukes, Amanda Coetzee, Gareth Crocker, Jassy Mackenzie, Angela Makholwa, Brent Meersman, Niq Mhlongo, Kgebetli Moele, Nthikeng Mohlele, Gail Schimmel, Steven Boykey Sidley, Fiona Snyckers, Meg Vandermerwe, James Whyle and Rachel Zadok move from “names to watch” to a new generation of established South African writers. This year sees a number of impressive debuts, ensuring that there will be no shortage of new voices. Maren Bodenstein, Dominique Botha, Carol Campbell, C.A. Davids, Perfect Hlongwane, Charlie Human, Ron Irwin, Alex Latimer, Songeziwe Mahlangu, Maria Phalime and Claire Robertson are particularly noteworthy. The South African literary awards reflected the range of books published, with each of the main awards going to a different book. The Sunday Times Award for Fiction was won by Claire Robertson for The Spiral House, with The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, False River by Dominique Botha, Penumbra by Simphiwe Mahlangu and Wolf, Wolf by Eben Venter shortlisted. It is worth noting that three of the shortlisted books were debuts (Robertson’s, Botha’s and Mahlangu’s). Nadine Gordimer was honoured with a lifetime award from the Sunday Times. The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Prize went to Lauren Beukes for The Shining Girls, with The Sculptors of Mapungubwe by Zakes Mda, Stepping Out by Steven Boykey Sidley and Sister-Sister by Rachel Zadok shortlisted. The Debut Prize went to Dominique Botha for False River, with The Blacks of Cape Town by C.A. Davids, Jozi by Perfect Hlongwane and The Spiral House by Claire Robertson shortlisted. False River and Wolf, Wolf by Eben Venter were among several books issued simultaneously in

South Africa and Zimbabwe

Fairies in Early Modern English Drama: Fictionality and Theatrical Landscapes, 1575-1615

Assessing change : investigating evaluation practices in applied theatre

The inaccessibility of documents on South African theatre productions poses a considerable problem in both the research and teaching of theatre. The gap that this has created in our literary history may be irreversible as live performance is the most ephemeral of art forms. The recording of theatre performance inevitably implies a distortion of the original event, but is nevertheless of vital importance for theatre research. This article first explicates the importance of, and controversy around, theatre archiving and then maps the history and surveys the current status of South African theatre archiving, and finds that we face three related problems in this regard. Firstly, the Centre for Information on the Arts (SACIA) collection, which functioned as a clearing house for the performing arts from 1971 to the late 1980s, might become inaccessible in the National Archives, where it is now held. Secondly, there is no easily accessible documentation on South African theatre between the late 1980s and the rec...

South African drama and theatre heritage (part I): a map of where we find ourselves

Hierdie artikel ondersoek ’n aantal geselekteerde gedigte wat geskryf is tydens kreatiewe skryfwerkswinkels aangebied by ’n dwelmrehabilitasiekliniek. Ons voer aan dat hierdie gedigte sommige onsekerhede en kompleksiteite blootle wat die representasie van identiteit in ervarings van verslawing en herstel kenmerk. Ons toon aan dat die sprekers in hierdie gedigte probeer het om hulle ervarings deur ’n aantal binere teenstellings in taal te versinnebeeld. Dit sluit in die teenstelling tussen die spreker se ervaring van aktiewe verslawing en herstel, en die spreker se persoonlike ervaring teenoor maatskaplike verwagtinge en persepsies. Ons interpretasies van hierdie gedigte word gerig deur die kliniese konteks waarbinne hulle geskep is, terwyl ons ontleding die splitsing weerspieel wat hierdie liminale ruimte oorheers. Individuele agentskap binne hierdie verskillende gebiede word op tentatiewe wyse benader, en daar word aangedui hoe die sprekers in hierdie gedigte met moeite ’n toekoms insien terwyl hul verledes terselfdertyd rusteloos voorkom. Uiteindelik argumenteer ons dat terwyl teenswoordige diskoerse en uitdrukkingsmoontlikhede betreffende verslawing onvolledig en onvoldoende blyk te wees vir die uiting van veelvuldige ervarings, bied juis die poesie ’n platform wat teenstrydighede en menigvuldige betekenisse kan akkommodeer.

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(In)dependent meaning: Representations of addiction and recovery in selected poems produced in a rehabilitation centre

The distinction between fictionality and actuality takes on a special significance in the theatre, which contains two frames simultaneously: a fictional and an actual. Although the presence of these frames is integral to performance, the demarcation between them often becomes blurred. Both Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing (1982) and Sam Holcroft's Edgar and Annabel (2011) problematize the relationship between an actor and the character that he or she portrays. While Stoppard's characters sometimes indulge in fictional portrayals, Holcroft's embody additional characters out of a sense of duty and commitment to a political cause. Although the stakes of keeping the illusion in place are seemingly much higher in Holcroft's play, both suggest that the blurring of the line between the actual and the fictional is not only inevitable, but also potentially dangerous. Lida Kruger is a senior lecturer in English Studies at the University of South Africa, Pretoria. Her current research interests include fictionality in theatre, the position of the audience in performance, and theatre archiving.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/AB743A20930D23B47DB8648B7D632706/S0266464X16000221a.pdf/div-class-title-stop-putting-words-in-my-mouth-undermining-the-binary-between-the-actual-and-the-fictional-div.pdf

‘Stop Putting Words in my Mouth!’: Undermining the Binary between the Actual and the Fictional

Deon Opperman het sy musiekblyspel "Tree aan!: Dit was die dae toe ons troepies was" (2011) geskryf as lewende monument om die soldate wat in die Grensoorlog gesneuwel het, te huldig. Dit dien ook om te keer dat die geskiedenis van hierdie oorlog uitgewis word, 'n uitwissing waarna daar, volgens Opperman, daadwerklik gestreef word. Opperman benader hierdie taak op 'n restouratief-nostalgiese wyse, ten spyte van die kontroversie rondom die Grensoorlog en die verdeeldheid daaroor in die openbare domein. In hierdie artikel dui ek drie dinge aan: (i) dat Opperman op restouratief-nostalgiese en verwronge wyse met die geskiedenis omgaan; (ii) dat "Tree aan!" 'n omkering is van sy debuutdrama, More is 'n lang dag (1986), ten opsigte van die verteenwoordiging van Afrikanernasionalisme; en (iii) dat "Tree aan!" die gehoorlid in 'n ongemaklike posisie plaas ten opsigte van die huldiging van hierdie geskiedenis. Ek doen dit deur eerstens die kriteria vir die doel, funksie en hantering van feite in historiese fiksie te bepaal aan die hand van onder andere Van Coller (2011) se studie in hierdie verband. Tweedens beskryf ek die eienskappe van propaganda en die aard van teater as stelsel van veranderlikes, en derdens ontleed ek beide More is 'n lang dag en "Tree aan!" volgens bogenoemde kriteria. Ek kom dan tot die gevolgtrekking dat "Tree aan!" sekere feite wat in die historiografie aanvaar word, misken of versluier. Daar vind verder 'n hierargiese verskuiwing binne Opperman se eie oeuvre plaas wat duidelik word wanneer "Tree aan!" met More is 'n lang dag vergelyk word. Laastens dwing "Tree aan!" die gehoor in 'n beperkende keuse in wat in die huidige diskursiewe klimaat, waar kwessies rondom die Grensoorlog steeds onopgelos en kompleks blyk te wees, onaanvaarbaar is.
Who will remember us? : the audience member's uncomfortable position in Deon Opperman's "Tree aan!"
Deon Opperman wrote his musical "Tree aan!: Dit was die dae toe ons troepies was" (2011; Fall in!: Those were the days when we were troops) as a living monument to pay homage to the fallen soldiers of the Border War who were not recognised in Freedom Park. The musical is, therefore, a political event from the start, written and performed within a larger political context. Like Opperman's earlier historical musical about the Anglo-Boer War, "Ons vir jou" (2008), "Tree aan!" led to a polemic in the Afrikaans press. While columnists like Flip Buys and Leopold Scholtz felt that "Tree aan!" was important in commemorating the former SADF soldiers for their contribution to the South African democracy today, philosopher Anton van Niekerk saw these allegations as preposterous since the Border War remains controversial and issues surrounding it unresolved. Indeed, conflicting works of fiction and non-fiction about the Border War are still being published today, and in Opperman's own oeuvre the Border War is always relevant, especially in his debut drama, More is 'n lang dag (1986; Tomorrow is a long day). However, the polemic surrounding "Tree aan!" calls its political implications into question.
As historical fiction, "Tree aan!" fulfils specific functions and purposes that are influenced by its genre as a musical drama: it is inextricably part of a specific context with political implications. In this article I intend to point three things out: (i) that "Tree aan!" interprets historical events in a restoratively nostalgic and distorted manner; (ii) that "Tree aan!" is an inversion of Opperman's earlier More is 'n lang dag with regard to the representation of Afrikaner nationalism, and (iii) that the musical places the audience member in an uncomfortable position regarding the commemoration of this history. I will, therefore, first give an explanation of the purpose, functions and treatment of facts within historical fiction according to Van Coller's (2011) typology. I will then describe the characteristics of propaganda and the nature of theatre as a system of variables. Lastly, I will analyse both More is 'n lang dag and "Tree aan!" to show how these two texts represent almost opposite positions regarding war and the role of gender in war.

"Wie sal ons onthou?" : die gehoorlid se ongemaklike posisie in Deon Opperman se "Tree aan!" : geesteswetenskappe

SummaryAccording to Gilbert and Thompkins (1996: 5), postcolonial drama is aimed at dismantling the hierarchies and determinants that create binary oppositions in postcolonial contexts and – according to Young (2001: 4) – also actively transforming the present “out of the clutches of the past”. This dismantling can, however, only occur when the inevitable ambivalence of postcolonial binaries are taken into account (Gilbert & Thompkins 1996: 6). In her text The Free State (2000a), Janet Suzman attempts to appropriate Chekhov's dismantling of power structures in The Cherry Orchard (1904) within the South African context. However, although The Free State is written against the former apartheid regime, it fails to dismantle the hierarchies within its context because it negates the vital carnivalesque subversion of Chekhov's text. Instead of subverting the hierarchies in her context, Suzman merely inverts them. In this article, the concept of the carnival as developed by Mikhail Bakhtin is used to investigate ...

Lida Krüger

Papers

South African drama and theatre heritage (part I): a map of where we find ourselves

(In)dependent meaning: Representations of addiction and recovery in selected poems produced in a rehabilitation centre

‘Stop Putting Words in my Mouth!’: Undermining the Binary between the Actual and the Fictional

"Wie sal ons onthou?" : die gehoorlid se ongemaklike posisie in Deon Opperman se "Tree aan!" : geesteswetenskappe

Subversion versus Inversion: The Loss of the Carnivalesque in Janet Suzman's The Free State