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woza albert
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Background to Woza Albert!
Two actors, Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngema, created the play Woza Albert! in collaboration with Barney Simon, one of the founders of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg.
The actors, were inspired by Grotowski's "Towards a Poor Theatre", and Peter Brook's "The Empty Space", they were keen to try something more demanding and decided to create a piece of theatre together.
Whilst on the bus someone asked "what if Morena were to come to this place?" and this sparked off an idea
They did this by interviewing
people in Johannesburg and Soweto, who would
later form the basis for the characters in the play.
While the actors were working on creating this work, they were arrested by the Special Branch of the Security Police and held in solitary
confinement.
Upon their release from prison, the actors spoke to Manni Manim of the Market Theatre, who invited them to present their work to a small group. At this stage, Barney Simon Joined Mtwa and Ngema, and the three of them spent a further 6 weeks working on the "text" of the play.
They Workshopped
their play, initially bringing together
their recent experiences,
as well those of others
they had
interviewed. The play's highly physical and very energetic
form directly correlates to its workshopped roots.
Protest Theatre:
Almost all Protest Theatre written between 1970 and 1990
focuses in some way on apartheid. Each piece, however examines this political system from a different perspective. Whereas some provide a general overview, others present a more personal viewpoint, dealing with reactions to a specific situation.
workshopped theatre
woza albert
Structure: Episodic structure
this means that it is made up of a series of images. The actors play more than one role in the play and links are used to make one coherent production. For example, when the two actors make the sound of the police siren to link scenes two and three.
The pace of the play is quick as actors rapidly move from one scene to the next. This is done so smoothly that, while they are performing, audiences are not even aware of the scene changes. This involves choreographed team work. The structure of this performance - orientated play is based on oral tradition, as well as the fact that the play has been workshopped
They were able to use this
time productively by reading the Bible (the only reading matter permitted) and by holding discussions with other detainees. We can see therefore how their real experiences influenced Woza Albert! by looking at how many religious references, expressed through irony, exist in the play.