Blood Knot thesis

A thesis "The evolution of Athol Fugard's The blood knot" is now available online at the website of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The MA thesis is by Kim Lauren McKay from 1987.

"The published script from the 1960's was not to be the last for The Blood Knot, however, and in the 1980's Fugard turned his attention again to this play. This new, shorter version succeeds without the early poetic stance and natural imagery; it relies instead on a more
forceful tone and a more clearly political message, both of which comment on the artist and his world ".

You can read the thesis on the Lehigh Preserve website  here.

Encyclopedia Britannica Web's Best Site

Encyclopædia Britannica has listed this site as the Web's best site on Athol Fugard.  Thanks- click on the image for the encyclopædia.

Too late- see what you missed!!

Celebration of the Life and Work of Athol Fugard in London, UK

The Royal Court Theatre present a Celebration of the Life and Work of Athol Fugard on 11 May 2025.

"The Royal Court’s relationship with Fugard began over half a century ago, in the early 1970s, when the theatre proudly presented the international premieres of his groundbreaking anti-apartheid plays — Boesman and Lena (1971), Sizwe Banzi is Dead (1973), The Island (1973), and Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (1974). Sizwe Banzi and The Island later transferred to Broadway, where co-creators and performers John Kani OBE and Winston Ntshona were awarded Best Actor Tony Awards".

The event is hosted by David Byrne, Artistic Director of the Royal Court, and curated by Greg Karvellas, former Artistic Director of The Fugard Theatre in Cape Town (2010–2021).  The celebration will feature John Kani, Janet Suzman, and others on stage, with reflections, live performance extracts, and recorded excerpts from Athol Fugard himself.

Tickets include a post-show toast with a glass of South African wine and- for meat-eaters- biltong, two of Athol’s favourites.

For the theatre website click here.
For more on Athol Fugard click here.

Athol Fugard passes away

Sadly Athol Fugard has died aged  92.  He passed away in his Stellenbosch home near Cape Town of cardiac arrest after a long illness.

Some tributes:

"Fugard defined the essence of what he called "pure theater" as nothing more "than the actor and the stage, the actor in space and silence." As an artist he resisted labels, but he conceded that if his work is to be categorized "then it must be as 'actors' theatre.' Humanity was always at the core of Fugard's art" (Mark Kennedy and Gerald Imray, LA Times, 10 March 2025, click here). "Fugard brought critical, wrenching portrayals of South African society under apartheid to international stages, including Broadway, helping to generate the wave of worldwide criticism that eventually led to the end of that policy in the country, in the process gaining wider access for South African dramaturgy outside that nation" (Carmel Dagan, Variety, 10 March 2025, click here). "His longtime friend and collaborator John Kani mourned: 'I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Athol Fugard. May his soul rest in eternal peace'" (iAfrica, 9 March 2025, click here). "Now he is dead, and a writer of true integrity has gone. He loved the actor who had played Miss Helen in Mecca, the great Yvonne Bryceland – his muse. He loved women; he wrote about the feral stoicism and optimism of the female animal with a warmth quite unusual in a writer – maybe excepting Ibsen. He understood fatalism, and loneliness, and had the ear of a poet for ordinary folk" (Janet Suzman, The Guardian, 9 Mar 2025, click here). "The South African government confirmed Fugard's death and said the country 'has lost one of its greatest literary and theatrical icons, whose work shaped the cultural and social landscape of our nation'" (Mark Kennedy and Gerald Imray, The Independent, 10 March 2025, click here).

The Coat staged reading in London

Orange Tree Theatre present a staged reading of The Coat on 11 June 2025.

"In 1960s South Africa, a township theatre group retells the story of a mother, her husband’s coat, and the difficult choices to be made when living in a divided country".

The director is Ameera Conrad.

For the theatre website click here.
For more on the play click here.

A Lesson from Aloes staged reading in Los Angeles, USA

The Fountain Theatre presents a staged reading of Athol Fugard's A Lesson from Aloes on 29 April 2025.
The director is Elizabeth Swain and dramaturgy is by Tara Moore.  The reading features artists from Antaeus Theatre Company- Tony Amendola, Gregg Daniel and Lily Knight.

The reading will be followed by a discussion of Athol’s legacy.

For the theatre website click here.
For more on the play click here.

The Island reading in Virginia, USA

Metrostage Theatre present a Tribute to Athol Fugard with a reading of The Island.  It is on 16 April 2025.  The performers are Doug Brown and Bill Grimmette.

"Since Mr. Fugard died this past February, MetroStage is honored to pay tribute to his body of work and present a reading of this extraordinary play. By depicting the labor required of the political prisoners, their bond, and their commitment to telling the classic story of “Antigone” for their fellow prisoners, Fugard has created a dramatic, and historic masterpiece. As MetroStage director Thomas W. Jones II described in a 2015 interview, the play depicts “themes of solidarity, endurance, perseverance (that) are timeless”, and a “celebration of human dignity and freedom in the face of insurmountable oppression".

For the theatre website click here.
For more on the play click here.

The Road to Mecca in Kingston, Canada

Domino Theatre present The Road to Mecca from 1 January- 1 February 2025.  The Director is Gord Love.

"This unusual drama focuses on Miss Helen, an old Boer woman who lives alone in the South African boondocks, where she creates odd concrete sculptures, which she calls her Mecca. A young woman who was once helped by Miss Helen has travelled hundreds of miles to help her in a time of crisis. Miss Helen is in danger of being sent to an old folks' home by a narrow-minded minister, who considers her sculptures a public nuisance. A penetrating study of the role of the artist in any society".

For the theatre website click here.
For more on the play click here.

Sindu Kirilli 2 (Coming Home), India CANCELLED but now ONLINE

Red Wings Theatre Group present Sindu Kirilli 2 (Coming Home) on 6 February 2025 as part of  Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2025.

The director is Buddhika Damayantha and the cast include Ferni Roshinie as Veronica and Chandrasoma Binduhewa.

For more on the play click here.

The performance is cancelled but you can watch the production here.

My Children My Africa in Connecticut, USA

The Eastbound Theatre in Milford, Connecticut present My Children, My Africa from 31 January- 15 February 2025.

The Director is Noelle Fair.  The cast are Herman Livingston (Mr. M), Matt Simmons (Thami Mbikwana) and Sabrina Lingenfelter (Isabel Dyson).

"Generational conflict over the most effective means for ending apartheid in South Africa lead to an explosive confrontation between a gifted but impatient black township youth and his devoted but “old fashioned” black teacher … The unexpected involvement of a young white woman who befriends and learns from both men strips away the political trappings to reveal the human trauma at the heart of South Africa’s … tragedy".

For the theatre website click here.
For more on the play click here.

Master Harold... and the Boys in Westchester County, USA

The Schoolhouse Theatre present Master Harold...and the Boys from 6- 22 September 2024.  The Director is Owen Thompson and the cast are Will DeVary, Devin E. Haqq and Alvin Keith.

"Originally produced in 1982, 'Master Harold and the Boys' is now an acknowledged classic of the stage, whose themes of injustice, racism, friendship, and reconciliation traverse borders and time".

For the theatre website click here.
For more on the play click here.

Master Harold... and the Boys in Idaho, USA

Idaho Repertory Theatre present Master Harold...and the Boys from 5- 14 July 2024.  The play is directed by Baron Kelly.

"Fugard's searing coming-of-age story, loosely based on his own experience in South Africa, concerns the changing relationship between a white teen and the two Black men who work as waiters in his mother’s tea room".

For the theatre website click here.
For more on the play click here.

ЭТО МОЯ ЖИЗНЬ - People are Living There (This is my Life) in Moscow

ЭТО МОЯ ЖИЗНЬ (This is my Life), an adaptation of Athol Fugard's People are Living There is performed at the Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow, Russia.  Performances in Russian are from 31 March- 27 May 2024.