Fresh from the Witness Hilton Arts Festival
where it wowed audiences once again, comes Horn
of Sorrow.
Ubejane! He smells the wind. Ubejane! He
sees as if in the mist. Ubejane! He hears the air. Ubejane!
Nicholas Ellenbogen’s Horn of Sorrow is an extraordinary piece of physical theatre
created in the mid-1980’s with a cast of imaginative and dynamic actors in a
workshopped environment. It highlighted the plight of the rhino and the issue
of poaching. Sadly, nothing could be more topical right now. The current
production is directed by Brendan Grealy who was part of the original creation.
The story is narrated by the comical
Vulture who follows the fortunes of a baby rhino called Tembalethu. He sees the
game plan of poachers and local communities who see poaching as a means to earn
money to feed their families. But what of the survival of this ancient beast …
what of South Africa’s natural heritage … what of the fatal damage to the
tourist industry?
Horn
of Sorrow has an illustrious history. Public and
critical acclaim, plus countless performances worldwide, have garnered it a
Grahamstown Pick of the Fringe Award as well as an FNB Vita Award for Best
Playwright of the Year (Nicholas Ellenbogen). The production also won a
Scotsman Pick of the Fringe Award at the Edinburgh Festival.
Horn
of Sorrow runs at the Hexagon Theatre at the
University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg on October 19 at 18h30. Tickets
R70 (R50 students/seniors) booked on 033 260 5537 or at the door.
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