Cape Town-born writer, Amy Jephta, directs her thrilling and comedic hit play, A Good House, which first premiered at the Royal Court Theatre and Bristol Old Vic (United Kingdom) in 2024 in association with The Market Theatre.
In the quaint suburban community of Stillwater, a mysterious shack springs up from the dust with the inhabitants nowhere to be seen. As speculation abounds, new residents Sihle and Bonolo are recruited by their white neighbourhood to be the face of a campaign to demolish the shack in this biting satire of community politics. A Good House is a work about a couple who discover the limits of good neighbourliness and what is required to fit in.
This play – which Jephta was nominated for the prestigious international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize that honours women+writing for the stage – is full of wit, humour, insight and exhilarating tension. It sharply locates itself within South Africa’s middle-class community, where complex dynamics and race relations play out behind high walls.
Praise for A Good House:
‘Superb social satire’ – The Guardian
‘Excruciatingly funny’ – Financial Times
‘Worthy exploration of prejudice and privilege’ – LondonTheatre