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Brotherly Love
“Listen closely, and you might hear that thrilling sound that is one of the main reasons we go to the theatre, that beautiful music of a new voice.” So wrote Jason Zinoman of The New York Times in a 2007 review of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s powerful play The Brothers Size. McCraney’s drama was part of that year’s Under the Radar Festival at New York’s Public Theatre, which prompted Zinoman to note that the young playwright, then a Yale graduate student, would not remain under the radar very long. He was right. Two years later The McCarter Theatre Center of Princeton, NJ produced T...
Small Town Stories
Small town stories Since Abnormal Loads made its theatrical debut at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown last year, playwright Neil Coppen and his creative team have tweaked, nipped and tucked the play The result is a triumph of home-grown theatre that proves that history is all about perspective and that often the truth just gets in the way of a good story — except when it’s that much more bizarre than the made-up version. With a fine ensemble cast, laughs galore and a tear-jerking finale, the play is a sweeping epic about the generations of three families in a fictional town i...
Divided History
‘Divided HISTORY Neil Coppen unpacks the politics of retelling history in Abnormal Loads’, writes Mary Corrigall , S EGREGATING history has been a useful tool in the postapartheid era in apportioning guilt, developing restitution schemes and labelling one racial group “criminals” and the others “victims”. It has ensured that historical acts committed by white colonials are only the legacy of white South Africans and similarly only black people may justifiably identify with, or “claim”, the history of the Zulu or Xhosa. It’s a twisted exten...
Coppen se Abnormal Loads is geniaal verfrissend
Coppen se ‘Abnormal Loads’ is geniaal verfrissend Abnormal Loads (Coppen) Markteater, Newtown Teater, asook die beoefening daarvan, bly een van die onvoorspelbaarste bedrywe. Die een aand gaan jy na die teater met asemlose verwagtinge en teen die einde sit jy met ‘n baksteen in jou maag. Die volgende keer sleep jy jouself nit verpligting voort en die ervaring ruk jou tot in jou wese. Niel Coppen, verlede jaar se Standard Bank Jong Kunstenaar vir drama, is ‘n omnivoor wat alle dissiplines beproef wat uiteindelik betrek kan word om ‘n multimedia-effek op ‘n v...
Abnormal Loads - Johannesburg reviews
Now this is a play that will stand the test of time – Neil Coppen has produced a notable addition to South Africa’s theatre. Cleanly and dramatically it reverberates across time and space, deftly revealing characters that have depth, meaning and life. Abnormal Loads is a relevant and gripping play by a young playwright and director who can only go to greater heights.!” Jennifer De Klerk- Artslink “South Africa as a small town in the midst of our history-in hilarious, moving, living rainbow colour.” City Press “This is a South African production that makes you glow from within.&nb...
Abnormal Loads - Joburg Snippets reviews
“Now this is a play that will stand the test of time – Neil Coppen has produced a notable addition to South Africa’s theatre. Cleanly and dramatically it reverberates across time and space, deftly revealing characters that have depth, meaning and life. Abnormal Loads is a relevant and gripping play by a young playwright and director who can only go to greater heights.!” Jennifer De Klerk- Artslink “South Africa as a small town in the midst of our history-in hilarious, moving, living rainbow colour.” City Press “This is a South African production that makes you glow from wit...
