I See You at The Fugard Theatre

Witness an all-star cast and director bring this poignant play home

“I see you.” This is a common Zulu greeting, which acknowledges another’s presence. There is a depth to this greeting; it doesn’t just mean to see somebody’s physical body, but rather to go beyond; to innately recognise the core of someone else – to bear witness to their personality, humanity and dignity. In a post-Apartheid South Africa, the ability to see is imperative to our ability to understand.

Written by writer, actor and director Mongiwekhaya (Ubu and the Truth Commission, The Feather Collector), I See You is coming to The Fugard Theatre from Friday, 6, until Saturday, 28 May 2016. Tickets are available from Computicket.com.

MORE ABOUT THE 2016 I SEE YOU PLAY AT THE FUGARD THEATRE

The play is presented by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre in conjunction with The Royal Court in London and the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, and marks the directorial debut of Noma Dumezweni – a name many will be familiar with following her recent casting as Hermione Granger in London’s West End’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The Olivier award winner has also starred in The Fugard’s A Human Being Died that Night, which showed in Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York.

I See You is a riveting production, marked by a strong current of underlying tension inevitable in a country recovering from trauma and a resulting identity crisis. The story begins with Ben and Skinn having a night out on the town. The party is interrupted by the police, including one particularly resentful former freedom fighter named Officer Buthelezi. Buthelezi takes cumbrance to Ben’s supposed forgetting of his history, demonstrated by his choice to adopt a western name. He falsely accuses Ben of a crime, and punishes him severely for it saying, “I don't need your sorries white boy. Yes, you heard right. You know white people think we’re the same? We both look black. But only one of us is black.”

This is not a play you can watch passively. It will move you and it will make you ask some difficult questions, such as how we can remember but also move forward, how do we define and reshape identity, and how can bonds between people be ruptured then repaired? Ultimately, how do I see you and how do you see me?

Based on a true story, it’s all about how a new generation of South Africans are seeking to make sense of the past. The show boasts an all-star cast with Desmond Dube (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency; Hotel Rwanda; Dube on Mondays), in the role of Buthelezi; Bayo Gbadamosi (Little Revolution; Mad about the Boy) as Ben; Jordan Baker (Eastenders) as Skinn; Lunga Radebe (Antigone: In The World; Touch my Blood) as Shabangu; Austin Hardiman (Wish; The First Man) as James and Sibusiso Mamba (SizweBanzi is Dead; Nongogo) as Masinga. 

I See You was Mongiwekhaya’s debut play for the Royal Court’s 2013 writing project, and was presented as part of International Playwrights: A Genesis Foundation Project. It’s been met by international acclaim, and remains a moving and provocative performance, particularly poignant for a South African audience.

I See You. Ngiyakubona. Ek Sien Jou. Ndiyakubona.

TICKETS FOR THE 2016 I SEE YOU PRODUCTION AT THE FUGARD THEATRE

Tickets range from R150p/p to R170p/p and can be booked via Computicket.com. Tuesday’s performances are R150p/p, while Wednesday to Saturday shows are R170p/p; both 4pm and 8pm shows are available on Saturdays. Discounts are available for block bookings of ten or more people for the Wednesday to Saturday performances. These tickets are R153p/p. The show is one hour and twenty minutes long with no interval and doors open 20 minutes prior to the show.

Note: This production is not available to viewers aged 14 and younger.

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Interested in other theatre events in Cape Town? You might like District Six – Kanala, The Fugard’s other theatre show.

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