A Rhodes University Masters student won the prestigious 2017 Standard Bank Ovation Award for her play Bayephi, at the Grahamstown Arts Festival this week. Directed by Thembeka Madliki, the theatre production is about finding peace after the disappearance of a loved one. The play was highlighted as one of the productions to look out for at the beginning of the festival.
Bayephi is about the loss of a loved one, the desperation that comes with keeping their memory alive and the journey of finding peace without closure.
“I am very expressive and emotional as a director, and as such my play carries a lot of symbolism in its many props. For me this story resonates with the story of activists who lost their lives in foreign lands and whose spirits and those of their families, remain restless,” she adds.
Artistic innovation, excellence, the exploration of new performance styles and the courage to open new conversation through the arts underpin the motivation for the winners of the Standard Bank Ovation Award. The production is in the running for the Silver and Golden Ovation Awardswhich will be presented on the last day of the festival.
The cast for the show include Eric Mwenda Gitonga, Nompumelelo Kubheka, Siyabulela Javu, Nandipha Mlati and Eretha Fillis.
Below is a clip from the play.