| In Transit – part of Theatre in the Dark at Theatre Arts in Cape Town (February 15-25 2024) Director: Sibahle Mabaso Cast: Fika Majozini and Katelynne Matthews Devised by: Sibahle Mabaso, Fika Majozini and Katelynne Matthews Where: Theatre Arts, Methodist Church Hall, corner Milton Road and Wesley Street, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925 When: February 17 to February 19, 2024 Tickets: R80 and R100 for general admission with concessions for students Bookings: https://theatrearts.co.za/show/in_transit Info: caroline@theatrearts.co.za / sibahlekkmabaso@gmail.com or call 0812553519 |
Theatre in the Dark takes place in Cape Town at Theatre Arts, from February 15-25, 2024. The season was inspired by load shedding and all the works in the season are making use of lighting sources which is not Eskom dependent- LED lights, torches, lamps, candles etc. Sibahle Mabaso is based in Bloemfontein and is bringing her play, In Transit, to Theatre in the Dark. It is on February 17 to February 19. The performers are Fika Majozini and Katelynne Matthews. They devised the play with Mabaso. She says: “This piece reimagines what could possibly lie between the end of one’s existence in one realm and the beginning of their existence in another. It explores what is but is not – stepping momentarily into the shoes of anyone – you, I, us – who has ever had to come to terms with being in transit, or not.” Read on for more about this exciting piece – travelling all the way from Bloem to Cape Town and powered by its own lighting, irrespective of our fallible electricity grid:
The genesis of In Transit- 60 seconds curatorial prompt
What can happen in 60 seconds? What you do if you had 60 seconds?
Sibahle Mabaso: “We did In Transit as part of my Honours Theatre Making in 2021 at the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, UFS [University of the Free State]. There is a component in the course that requires you to direct a short piece in response to a central theme that would be allocated to you as a group. We each got to audition a group of (at that time) first years, who would then form part of the cast. The prompt at that time was ’60 seconds’. And the way in which the inspiration flowed, led me to asking ‘what can happen in 60 seconds’, and it kind of evolved from there to include a lot of questioning, and feeling really unsure about how to respond to the prompt/ theme, and that questioning led us to exploring existentialist, and absurdist themes within the play. Through that very exploration as well, we then delved slightly into Greek mythology, a little bit of religion, and Waiting for Godot where our protagonist located himself as one of the characters who are in limbo, and essentially, in waiting and constantly in transit.”
Presenting In Transit at Theatre in the Dark- exploring with darkness and sound
Minimal lighting was used when In Transit was first presented and the team was delighted to have the opportunity to stage it again at Theatre in the Dark, with the consideration of non-Eskom lighting sources.
Sibahle Mabaso: “The piece used minimal lighting in the initial run and this is why I was so excited about the call-out for Theatre In the Dark. It works quite well with the location of the piece itself. And the piece is dynamic – it speaks about existential dread, and questioning, so it was quite easy for me to draw parallels and new ways in which the piece could evolve. My first light bulb moment was that in the same way Passenger 26 waits in limbo, is the same way in which we find ourselves in limbo as South Africans when we wait for the power to come back on during load shedding. Figuring out how to articulate that, as well as still stay true to this narrative has been challenging but exciting. We are still exploring with darkness and sound but we are looking at playing with different light sources – LEDs, and candles, and hopefully other innovative sources, and using those to enhance and frame the piece. What I can say is that the exploration is still very much in process but there are prominent moments throughout the piece where darkness and light interplay.”
The story – In Transit – Liminal spaces- in limbo
What happens when you are in a liminal space- dangling in limbo between one reality and an unknown realm?
Sibahle Mabaso: “This piece introduces a character by the name of Passenger 26, an individual who has just seen the end of his existence on earth finds himself having to grapple with the end of his existence as he transcends into another realm. This character arrives in limbo thinking that he is going to paradise. He meets a bus driver, a messenger angel, whom he is convinced is the saviour. Happy that the decisions that he made in his lifetime have gotten him to paradise, his joy is soon short-lived when he finds out that he is not going to paradise. This piece reimagines what could possibly lie between the end of one’s existence in one realm and the beginning of their existence in another. It explores what is but is not – stepping momentarily into the shoes of anyone – you, I, us – who has ever had to come to terms with being in transit, or not.”
In Transit – all the way from Bloem to Cape Town
Theatre Arts sent out an open-call on social media, for submissions for Theatre in the Dark and they applied. It will be the first time that Mabaso is staging one of her own plays in Cape Town as a full season.
Sibahle Mabaso: “Yes, we are bringing this all the way from Bloem to Cape Town with the support of the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts here at the University of the Free State as well as Theatre Arts, of course. Fika Majozini is from KZN but studies here in Bloemfontein and Katelynne Matthews studies here in Bloemfontein but is from the De Doorns, Western Cape. They were part of the original devising process and they are still devising it with me under my direction. This will be the official first time that one of my works would be staged in Cape Town. When I went to Teksmark [2023], I collaborated with alumni from UCT, so they formed the cast, so I was just there in my capacity as a playwright. With regards to Theatre in the Dark, I saw the open call on Instagram and I applied. This will be my first time working with Theatre Arts as well as with Caroline Calburn, so I am super excited about it.”
Life as a theatre maker
The dynamic 24 year old director and writer works as an Assistant Researcher at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of the Free State. She is currently doing her MA in Gender Studies.
Mabaso’s theatre for youth script was selected for presentation at the Baxter Theatre Centre as part of the Teksmark 2023, in partnership with the KKNK. Her new play, Mme We!, she says is “about a strained relationship between a mother and her daughter who are navigating the complexities of failed hopes and dreams”. The play will be featured at The Connecting Streams Theatre Festival in Bloemfontein, in March [2024]. She has wrote and directed Where Does the Sun Wait Before it Rises? which “addresses society’s response to womxn in the LGBQTIA+ community within the South African cultural kinesphere”. The piece debuted at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS), in 2023. In Transit is her independent theatre debut, and is she says “the more abstract and lighter of her works”.
Sibahle Mabaso: “I am currently focusing on theatre, and trying to evolve and grow in theatre because that is my background and first love but I hope to delve into film/TV in the future.”
✳ In Transit which will be staged in Cape Town, at Theatre Arts as part of its inaugural Theatre in the Dark season (February 15-25 2024). In Transit is on February 17 to February 19, 2024 and is performed by Katelynne Matthews and Fika Majozini. The director is Sibahle Mabaso. Pic supplied.
