Thursday 14 – Saturday 16th September (also with matinee on 16th), at Northern Stage, Newcastle in partnership with The Market Theatre, Johannesburg,
THE SUITCASE – from the novel by Es’kia Mphahlele, featuring live music composed and written by the great Hugh Masekela.
https://www.northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/the-suitcase
It’s 1950s South Africa. A young newly married couple leave their rural village and disapproving family for the city of Durban. Their goal: to return home, rich and free.
But, alienated in the city, unemployed and poor, Timi starts to lose his moral compass. Desperate to provide for his pregnant wife he steals a suitcase left on a bus not knowing what might be inside; an act which brings frightening consequences, dramatic twists and unexpected turns.
Based on a true story, this evocative, visual and moving production encompasses African storytelling and lyrical music at its very best.
Writer Es’kia Mphahlele is among South Africa’s greatest authors, thinkers and critics. Respected worldwide as a literary luminary, he has published many short stories, essays and novels dealing with issues of race and South Africa’s changing society. Hugh Masekela, legendary South African musician, has written the perfect soundtrack to this powerful piece.
The Market Theatre was founded in Johannesburg in 1976 by Mannie Manim and the late playwright Barney Simon. Known internationally as the ‘Theatre of the Struggle’, the Market Theatre challenged the Apartheid regime and dared to stand up against social injustice, acting as a powerful voice for freedom and emancipation. Over the past four decades, the theatre has evolved into a cultural complex for performance, music, dance and the allied arts. Today, the Market Theatre continues to be engaging, challenging and entertaining
Waka Waka Africa North East 