Programme 2023

Empatheatre

Isidlamlilo (The Fire Eater)

Programma soort: Main programme
Genre: Theatre
Herkomst: Durban, South Africa
Extra info: European premiere

Isidlamlilo is a mesmerising theatrical thriller that follows the story of an infamous South African hit woman while weaving together aspects of Zulu mythology and magical realism to interrogate South Africa's painful political past. Some life stories are just different.

Entrance

€ 16,-

Duration

100 minutes

Language

English

Location

Usva

Accessibility

This performance might be limited in accessibility.

Check times

The grandmother who used to kill people

What would you do if you suddenly discovered that your local government has declared you dead? When this happens by mistake to 60-year-old grandmother Zenzile Maseko, she becomes desperately driven to prove her existence. After all, how could an ex-IFP assassin such as her, one of the legendary ‘Fire Eaters’ of the resistance, be so easily declared no longer living?

Empatheatre weaves together true stories and testimonies from South African women in an epic personal tale of redemption, regeneration, and reinvention. With the art of simple storytelling at its heart, Isidlamlilo takes an uncompromising and urgent look at the country’s haunted past through the eyes of a 60-year-old ex-hitwoman, and what it means to live through multiple generations of violence and corruption. All this, with a lightheartedness like only a grandmother could tell a story.

With after-talk on August 18th at 7:30PM.

This performance falls under the programme theme Under Pressure. When you visit 3 or more performances from one theme, you receive a 10% discount on your tickets. Read more here.

Woven together from true stories and testimonials gathered by the Empatheatre company, with a near flawless presentation and delivery, Isidlamlilo expands our horizons so often cramped by fears real and imagined, and imparts some of the courage the dispossessed have to daily gather to continue to live. This is fantastic theatre.

Author: NAF Theatre Review

Thursday 17 August

Available times

19:15

Friday 18 August

Available times

19:30

Saturday 19 August

Available times

19:30

Sunday 20 August

Available times

18:00

About the artist

Empatheatre takes its name from ‘empathy’ and ‘amphitheatre’ and was founded by acclaimed actress Mpume Mthombeni and Neil Coppen in 2014. The company has been heralded for their unique approach of research-based theatre projects to inspire change and solidarity. Recently they have received the prestigious Bertha Artivism Award, and they have been invited to perform for the UN at the Cop27 conference.

Credits