(The cover of “Mob Feel" features TQ Zondi & Mpilo Nzimande)
KZN playwright Kline
Smith's play Mob Feel has just been
published by Cape Town-based Junkets Publishers in The Junkets10 Series.
In the gritty
township life of Westbury in 1952, a Romeo-and-Juliet story is played out when
two young people from different rival-clans fall in love. Using only two male
actors, the playwright-director creates the life of the township, with a
musician and singer providing the undertone of foreboding that permeates the
play.
“Born in Eshowe, a
small, semi-rural city in the heart of Zululand, I relocated to
Pietermaritzburg, where I obtained an Honours degree in Drama, Journalism and
Performance Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN),” explains
Smith.
“I went on to
write, direct and produce an experimental adaptation of Mob Passion, which was entered into the National Arts Festival’s
Student Theatre Programme the following year. The play, which I called Mob Feel, received the awards for Best
Writer and Best Director. A year later, Mob
Feel won the award for Best Fringe Production at the Musho! International
Theatre Festival and has been performed in theatres around the country. I’m an advocate for social justice and
transformation in KwaZulu-Natal; I run the Stories for Change theatre project
with homeless youths in Pietermaritzburg."
Critics’ response
has been positive:
‘Mob Feel is simply four people with a guitar,
a drum and an abundance of talent. … It is so good …’ – Carissa Govender, Cue
(National Arts Festival)
‘Using lyrical and
at time almost balletic movements, TQ Zondi and Mpilo Nzimande combine physical
theatre with the age-old tradition of storytelling to tell this tragic story. …
a poignant, moving, funny and deeply thought-provoking piece of theatre.’ –
Estelle Sinkins, The Witness
Price R80 + R55
p&p = R135 per copy. To order Mob
Feel email info.junkets@iafrica.com