(Above: Mark Elderkin & Mwenya
Kabwe)
Nick Payne’s Constellations
will take part in the Hilton Arts Festival Theatre from August 7 to 9.
Directed by industry luminary and renowned choreographer Jay Pather (The Firebird; Bridling; Hold Still; Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre), Constellations is a spellbinding exploration of love, choices quantum theory, and infinite possibility for heartbreak or for hope.
Through a kaleidoscope of moments between two people, it asks what might happen if every version of our lives existed at once - and whether love can endure across them all.
The stellar cast features Mark Elderkin (Speelgoed van Glas/The Glass Menagerie; Amadeus; A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Mwenya Kabwe (Hold Still; Yellowman; mAnJE! MaNje (an epic)).
Production and lighting design are by Wolf Britz and costume design by Michaeline Wessels.
Marianne, a physicist, and Roland, a beekeeper, meet at a barbeque. They hit it off, and go for a drink. Or perhaps they don’t. They go home together, or maybe they go their separate ways. Perhaps Marianne is engaged to someone else, perhaps Roland is. Maybe she breaks his heart, maybe he breaks hers. Perhaps they come together and their love story can finally take root and grow, or perhaps it will be tragically cut short.
Constellations contemplates how even the smallest change in our lives can dramatically alter the course we take.
Director Jay Pather says: “We have all experienced an 'if only' moment. What if I had done something differently, said something else? Would it have worked out better? Constellations is a remarkable play that evokes this human frailty through compelling text, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching that builds steadily with the inevitability of ancient ritual and Greek drama.”
Julie-Anne McDowell, founder of How Now Brown Cow, adds: “In an increasingly fast-paced world filled with AI images and fake news, theatre remains a vital medium to share stories, understand each other and create connection. At How Now Brown Cow, we believe storytelling is not an escape from reality, but a way to understand it. The stories we choose to tell are driven by urgency, humanity, and the need to spark conversation that extends.
“Constellations is a captivating journey of celebrating choices, questioning free will versus destiny, and considering infinite possibilities. Together, these productions reflect the duality of our existence - the personal and the political, the tender and the confronting. They ask us to look more closely at ourselves, at each other, and at the systems we live within.”
Running time: 1 hr 15mins no interval
Venue: Main Theatre
Start time: Sat 12h30: Sun 10h00
Ticket Price: R220
Genre / age restriction: Drama
Suitability: All ages
Booking through Webtickets
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