(Gisele Turner)Veteran Durban-based theatre practitioner and director Gisele Turner was recently named one the runners-up in an international playwriting competition orchestrated by the Trinity College of London. The play, for children aged between 6 and 11 years of age, is entitled Lucky Strike and looks at a day in the life of a boy who lives on the outskirts of Inanda Township. He is cared for by his teenager half-sister who heads up the household since the death of their mother and absence of their father.
“I wanted to write something that would capture a particular aspect of life in Durban and at the same time be accessible to anyone who read it,’ says Turner. “Dealing with difficult issues and transforming them into theatre pieces for children is very stimulating creatively. I had just taken in a puppy, a ‘township special’ found on the side of the road when she was only four weeks old and I was inspired by her resilient personality and playfulness. I also wanted to make use of different styles of theatre so Lucky Strike, which is the name of the scruffy puppy that comes into the lives of S’fiso and Nomusa, is a marionette, but the main characters are played by actors. I’ve also employed rough shadow puppetry to create tension and sustain visual interest.”
The play looks at some of the issues prevalent in the society: absent fathers, poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, abuse and xenophobia. “That makes it sound really heavy,” says Turner, ‘but in fact all these issues are woven lightly into the story line and there are many touches of humour. It is a simple story but it underlines the challenges faced by young people in difficult circumstances. It also looks at the positive support of a community, the power of friendship and the therapeutic value of a keeping a pet.”
Turner receives a certificate, a £500 money prize and Lucky Strike has been printed in a compendium of award-winning plays compiled by Trinity College London. “Winning a prize for writing has inspired me to write more and to trust my creative instincts,” said Turner who hopes to mount the play once she has sourced funding. “A play on paper is only the beginning,” she says. “The true magic will be to see it come alive in the theatre.”
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