From humble beginnings in a backyard in Phuthaditjhaba in QwaQwa, the Zwakala Festival’s past winner, Coal Yard, will enjoy a revival at the Market Theatre from 10 – 27 October 2024.
Coal Yard follows the journey of a young man called Tshepo whose dreams are shattered. He is forced to run away from his home after his father sexually abuses him. In the wilderness, Tshepo meets a mentor who gets him a job in a coal yard. The optimism of finding hope away from home is short lived when Tshepo has to confront labor under an exploitative boss. The play ultimately depicts the events that characterize the passage from boyhood to manhood in the life of Tshepo.
Performed with extraordinary energy, humour and skill, this is a multilingual piece of traditional storytelling par excellence. Working with physical theatre and a stripped back aesthetic reminiscent of plays like those of the late Mbongeni Ngema, including Woza Albert! and Asinamali, the ensemble tells this sensitive story. The set and props are kept to a minimum as the four performers constantly transform themselves across 37 different characters. The action seamlessly moves between dialogue in Sesotho, English, Afrikaans, Xitsonga, Zulu, Sepedi and Setswana.