Artscape Theatre in association with KleiSand is set to present Kalahari Swaan, as the first play in this year’s New Voices Programme at the Artscape Arena.

Written and directed by Jason Jacobs, Kalahari Swaan features Courtney Smith, Kaylin Coetzee and Dustin Beck and is part of New Voices, an Artscape Theatre Centre’s developmental programme which concentrates on promoting young theatre makers, directors and writers.

Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Kalahari Swaan is a rough discovery of a struggle for a better life. It was first produced by the UCT Drama Department, under the mentorship of Mark Fleishman and is about a young miner who lives in the heart of the Kalahari Desert, feels trapped in his circumstances and wants to pursue his dream for a better life.

He lives in poverty with his grandmother and mentally disabled sister, and at night speaks to the moon to share his dreams with her. The moon guides him through a journey of self-discovery as he fights to earn his freedom.

The style of the production is ‘diverse’, with strong Afrikaans poetry, dance and physical theatre work inspired by languages that arose within the boundaries of cultural dance forms and habitual patterns of the communities the piece represents.

Performance dates and times: 8 pm on July 16, 17 and 18, 3 pm on July 18 and 19, 8 pm on July 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, and 3 pm on July 25. Tickets are R50 to R80 at the Box Office, Dial-a-Seat and Computicket.