The Drama of South Africa: Plays, Pageants and Publics Since 1910

The Drama of South Africa chronicles the development of dramatic writing and performance from 1910, when the country came into official existence as a partially post-colonial Union, to the advent of post-apartheid. It discussed well-known figures and famous phenomena, and lesser known actors, directors and impressarios that have enriched the theatre of South Africa. As well as discussing conventional dramatic texts, the book investigates the impact of sketches and manifestos, and the oral preservation of scripts that for various reasons, political and otherwise, could not be written down. The Drama of South Africa challenges the familiar binary oppositions that have defined the field - black/white, imported/indigenous, purist/hybrid, and text/performance. and shows how the contributions of America and African-American influences complicate oppositions between European and African. It also highlights the contribution of women, South Asians and other minorities, and concludes with a discussion of the post-apartheid character of South Africa at the end of the twentieth century.