(Stallone Santino; Sasha Roopen; Bongeka Dlamini)
To be
presented by the Hexagon Theatre this week, A
Thousand Cranes by Kathryn Schultz Miller is a drama for children and
families.
There is
a Japanese legend that if someone makes a thousand origami cranes, the gods
will smile upon them and grant them their wish.
A Thousand Cranes is based on the true story of
Sadako Sasaki, a girl living in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bomb, who
succumbed to leukaemia at 12 years of age, as a result of radiation. Filled
with hope of having the gods grant her wish to be better, Sadako only managed
to make 644 cranes. Her friends and schoolmates made the remaining 356 as a
tribute to her, and the memorial park in Hiroshima has a statue of her which is
visited by thousands of people, all bringing paper cranes to honour her and the
inscription at the base of the statue: “This is our cry. This is our prayer.
Peace in the world.”
The
play, aimed at 8 year olds and over, is a warm-hearted tribute to the ideals
represented by the paper Crane: hope and peace. Performed in a style influenced
by Oriental theatre traditions, the show is a visual treat which reflects on a
part of history often not considered by Western education. The ensemble cast of
seven actors ingeniously weave a tale of love, fear, joy, tradition and
ancestral spirits. While the play deals with a tragic event, director Peter
Mitchell assures that the message is one of hope and tolerance of different
traditions and cultures.
The show
is designed by the Hexagon Theatre production team of Sandra Styles, Marcus
Henning and Peter Mitchell. The performers are Sasha Roopen, Jon Branch (Magical Mystery Tour), Stallone Santino
(Rituale Romanum), BreeH Cele,
Bongeka Dlamini, Jessica Killerby and Nompumelelo Mtshali.
A Thousand Cranes runs from May 29 to 31 at 18h00
with two performances on June 1 at 10h00 and 14h00. Tickets R40 booked at
Computicket : www.computicket.com http://online.computicket.com/web/event/a_thousand_cranes/732042508/0/54533916
or call
0861 915 8000 or visit Checkers
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