Stage: Bo Petersen’s Pieces of Me, South Africa 2024 tour, starts at FynArts

The 2024 FynArts Festival in Hermanus is once again bringing a range of live productions to the boards, including theatre, comedy, classical music, opera, jazz and dance. On the theatre side, a much anticipated production is Bo Petersen’s Pieces of Me which will be on for two performances only – at 3pm and 6.30pm on Wednesday June 12 in the Municipal Auditorium. Yes, there there are two performances only, so advisable book way ahead to secure your seats to this acclaimed production. Pieces of Me was triggered by the discovery when Petersen was 19 and found out that her father had passed as white. This was Apartheid when racial laws were in force in the country. “Classified as coloured, he lived as a white man after marrying Bo’s mother and never told his wife or any of their five children about his true identity.” Direction is by Royston Stoffels and Chris Petersen is at the piano. Note – for all those Luddites – if you prefer to not book via the FynArts Festival website and want to talk to a real person, call or WhatsApp 060 957 5371 Chantel or go into The Hermanus Tourism Bureau and she will assist with bookings.  Read on for more about Pieces of Me, South African tour, 2024. Info as supplied:

Pieces of Me

“No one ever talks about the moment you found that you were white. Or the moment you found out you were black. That’s a profound revelation. The minute you find that out, something happens. You have to renegotiate everything.” – Toni Morrison

Pieces of Me, written and performed by Bo Petersen, will be showcased in South Africa through 2024 in order to kickstart conversations about identity, history and race amongst South African young people, and to build empathy and understanding of the ongoing impact of apartheid and colonialism, and of the unspoken histories that many people carry within them.

“Pieces of Me” is being produced by ASSITEJ South Africa, with the Living Theatre (USA) and South Bend Civic Theatre as fiscal sponsors.

About the production – healing transgenerational trauma

Bo Petersen grew up in a white family in Apartheid South Africa. When she was 19 she uncovered her father’s secret. He was not white and had married the love of his life, who was white. From the age of 28 he lived as a white man. When Bo found out about her father’s hidden life, his secret, nearly 40 years ago, her life changed in a profound way. She became the custodian of his secret. She began writing “pieces” as a way of trying to understand her father, his “passing” and in turn, her “passing”. They were collaborators in their knowledge and silence.

Bo’s family story is not unique in South Africa. However, it is one that is not often told. This is the efficacy of the devastating damage wreaked by the inhuman laws passed and entrenched by the Apartheid Government and which continues even in today’s South Africa. These stories are still shrouded in a conspiracy of silence.

Bo has an ardent belief that theatre can assist in helping to heal transgenerational trauma and this is the motivational thrust to bring her play to as wide an audience as possible.

South African tour – 2024

The version of  “Pieces of Me” that will be showcased in South Africa, will be directed by actor, musician and director, Royston Stoffels, with musical contributions from Bo’s cousin, Christopher Petersen, who was one of the founders of  The Jazz Yard Academy in Bonteheuwel.

The target audience is anyone from 10 upwards: “We are interested in sharing the work with schools and youth groups, but it is a piece for all ages.”

The production will tour South Africa, performing at the FynArts Festival (Hermanus) National Arts Festival (Makhanda), Baxter theatre (Cape Town) and Hilton Arts festival (KZN), and possibly also tour to schools and other audiences that are not able to reach the main centres.

Conversations and workshops

During the run, a series of facilitated conversations and workshops will be designed for different age groups, including high school learners, university students and groups from diverse communities, brought together by churches, NGOs and other parties that have an interest in delving into the subject matter. A workbook will be created around the play, which will allow young people to engage with the subject matter creatively.

Sponsors

Fiscal sponsors: The  Living Theatre and The South Bend Civic Theatre, USA. Special thanks to The Gurley Leep Automotive Family and all the other very generous donors from NYC and South Bend Indiana.

With thanks to Laurie Nathan, Tracey Petersen, Caroline Calburn,  Beverley Abel and Pierre Barker, Jonathan Jansen, Nordic Black Theatre, Cliff Moustache, Keenan Tyler Oliphant and Grant Mudge, Alain Barker and Liz Rosdeitcher,  Matt Kahn and Janine Felder-Kahn, Bridget Hardy, friends and family. Thanks also to Wise Wheels Car Rental Cape Town.

About the participants in the project

WRITER & ACTOR, BO PETERSEN 

Bo Petersen is a dynamic and accomplished professional South African actor whose work on stage, film, TV and radio has spanned more than 40 years. With a dedication to storytelling that transcends boundaries and her commitment to South African theatre, Bo has established a notable presence in the world of performing arts in her country of birth and now expanding to the USA and Norway. Bo’s enduring dedication to both the craft and the community has earned admiration both on and off the stage. Her body of work stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the magic of the performing arts. She currently resides in the USA where she continues to write, direct and perform.

SOUTH AFRICAN PRODUCER, YVETTE HARDIE

YVETTE HARDIE is a theatre director, producer, educator and arts advocate, focusing on theatre for young audiences, based in Cape Town. She initiated the launch of ASSITEJ SA (the national centre of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People) in 2007, and leads the organisation as National Director. She served as President of the international ASSITEJ, which operates in close to 100 countries, from 2011 – 2021, and is now designated as Honorary President.

✳ Sponsored content, FynArts Festival 2024. Images by Ingrid Fadness. Supplied.