Veteran South African actor, playwright and director Ralph Lawson is thrilled to showcase his latest one-hander “Ubuntu Bill” at the Playhouse New Stages Festival 2023.
Written by Michael Taylor-Broderick, “Ubuntu Bill” forms part of the annual festival set to commemorate Africa Month and will be staged at the Playhouse Company from May 24 to 27.
It centres on Bill, a simple soul who finds happiness in his own dream world. He has nonetheless learned to navigate his way through life, despite his limited mental resources and is keen to share his delight in his world with those who share his challenges.
Bill climbs onto his bamboo bicycle and goes as far as he can up into the atmosphere. Because you see, he has an endless yearning, as we all do, to live weightlessly and not be afraid of falling.
He will tell you of his special relationship with the moon.
Speaking to IOL Entertainment, Lawson said he’s truly honoured to be part of the event that celebrates African heritage.
“Africa is in my bones, literally,” shared Lawson.
“My mother was fed from the rich earth of our country and she passed this essence to me before I was born. So my very being was created out of and nourished by the generous provision of Africa’s soil, it has made me what I am.
“And I’m really proud of and grateful for that.
“Being an African means that I am stirred to my soul by the sights, sounds, scents and tastes of Africa. I identify with these as being a part of my essence. And they never fail to make my heart glad and my soul sing,” he said.
True to its name, this humorous yet touching play carries a message of compassion and kindness.
“Ubuntu is written by Michael Taylor Broderick, who drew inspiration for it from a mysterious real-life local character,” explained Lawson.
“He was eccentric and was often misunderstood and made to feel like an outsider as a result. So the play looks at how human beings often judge people on outward appearances and call them simple, stupid or crazy when they’re just different.
“It makes a plea for kindness, forgiveness and tolerance and as the title suggests, ‘ubuntu’.”
He continued: “Michael’s previous play, ‘The King of Broken Things’ won three major awards in Bulgaria last year, including script and design. He is not only a playwright but a lighting designer, so ‘Ubuntu Bill’ promises to be not only an absorbing play but a great visual experience.
“And as a performer, it gives me the chance to exercise my craft to the full. It’s what is called a ‘one-hander’ with only me in the cast. So it’s quite a challenge!”
Lawson is hoping the play will remind us of all of who we are as Africans and exhibit the essence of being human.
“Don’t fear anything ... forgive your enemies ... and celebrate the spirit of Ubuntu: ‘I am because we are’,” concluded Lawson.
Tickets to Ubuntu Bill are available at Webtickets for R100.
ANOTHER NOT TO BE MISSED SHOW
Flatfoot Dance Company‘s “Things We Hide from the Light”
Where: Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.
When: May 19 to 21.
“Things We Hide from the Light”, is a full-length work made up of four ‘movements’ that are connected by theme, intention, and meaning”.
Returning to the Sneddon Theatre where the company offered its first season in 2003 – Flatfoot, fearlessly led by founder and artistic director, Lliane Loots, has crafted an intoxicating new work that honours past legacies, current directions, and future imaginings.
Provocatively titled “Things we hide from the Light”, Flatfoot offers its inimitable serious and deeply personal dance-making, a style of work that has seen the company for over 20 years invited to perform on countless international stages, and which has seen the company win commissions and awards honouring the excellence of its vision.
Tickets are available at Computicket for R100.