(Rajesh Gopie)
Award-winning Durban-born actor, playwright and producer Rajesh
Gopie has recently returned from London where he did his MA in performance at
the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, on an Oppenheimer Scholarship. He
will present a performance of his historical play, Out of Bounds, as
part of St Anne’s College’s annual Form 4 Drama Residency Programme.
This production has played to critical acclaim in New York,
London, Cardiff, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Madrid, Frankfurt, Dublin and London, to
name just a few of the toured cities.
Nadine Gordimer described Rajesh Gopie as “the most multi-talented young artist whose
work I have come across in more than a decade of deep interest in the theatre.
He is an actor of amazing range from power to pathos, from satire to tender
compassion, from comedy to dramatic tension.”
Out of Bounds is directed
by New Yorker, Tina Johnson, and transcends the myopia of race and culture. It
has been hailed as a South African classic in the same vein as Woza Albert! and The Island. Gopie runs a gamut of emotions to bring to life some 28
characters as he entertains with dazzling craft and skill.
Gopie is a graduate of UKZN with majors in Drama and
History. He has toured India, Europe and South Africa with his productions. He
was the male lead in The Chimp Project
by the world-renowned Handspring Puppet
Company. Some of his other acting credits include the title role of Hamlet, directed by Janet Suzman, and
Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet,
directed by Clare Stopford. He has appeared in numerous South African
television shows: Generations, Scandal, Zero Tolerance, Stellenbosch
and The Mating Game. His film credits
include Hansie, White Light, Shake Hands with
the Devil and Eastern Bride.
Out of Bounds will
be performed in The Theatre-St Anne’s College in Hilton on February 5 at 19h30.
Tickets R70 (R50 concessions) booked on
033 343 6100.