(Jaques
de Silva & Ameera Patel)
Acclaimed two-hander Whistle Stop on the Playhouse Company’s New Stages Festival roster.
Playing in The Playhouse Loft from May 24
to 27, 2018, is the acclaimed two-hander, Whistle
Stop. Under the meticulous direction of Frances Slabolepszy, it features
the award-winning duo and real-life couple, Ameera Patel and Jaques de Silva,
who unpack the dynamics of a single meeting between a man and a woman on a park
bench.
Conceived as a tribute to the work of the
legendary British playwright and actor Steven Berkoff and written by Ameera
Patel, the piece sensitively and charmingly explores modern urban
relationships. Through a combination of cutting, rapid-fire dialogue and
intense physical embodiment, the text explodes off the stage and takes the
audience on a comedic rollercoaster ride through past, present, and future
possible relationship dilemmas.
Whistle
Stop received a Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award
in Grahamstown in 2014, with Patel garnering a special writers’ award. “I think
in the way that all theatre works, the script is the jumping-off point, an
important aspect, but nothing without the magic of relationship on stage.
Jacques’s physical intuition and Francis’s careful balancing of the entire
piece were as essential in creating this piece as the writing was,” Patel said.
“I wanted to explore archetypal relationships, which dip in and out of
specificity. This meant that it was easier to write about a distanced couple as
opposed to my personal encounters.”
The production has toured nationally with
much success.
Whistle
Stop has performances in the Loft on May 25 at
19h30 (opening), May 26 at 15h00 and 19h30, and May 27 at 15h00. Schools
performances are May 23 and 24 at 10h00. Tickets R100 – R150 (R30 for school
learners). Book through Computicket on 0861 915 8000, online at
www.computicket.com, or call 031 369 9540 (office hours).
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