CAPE Town pupils are encouraged to head down to Artscape Theatre to watch the Grade 11 – 12 isiXhosa play, Amaza, an from May 18 to June 2.
Endorsed by the Western Cape Education Department and support from the HCI Foundation, Amaza forms part of the Artscape educational youth development programme that aims to promote social cohesion, good citizenship and empowerment through the arts.

The production, by ZS Qangule, is in its sixth consecutive season and is aimed at Grade 11 and 12 isiXhosa pupils from the greater Cape Town area. They will get the opportunity to experience the play in their own language and equip them with essential skills to become performers. The two hour play will once again be presented as a full stage production that will also appeal to the general public.

“The purpose of the educational programme is to assist grade 11 and 12 learners academically by presenting plays which are taught as literature on a theatre stage, therefore putting it in its intended setting,” says Marlene Le Roux, chief executive officer for Artscape Theatre. “We will also be introducing learners to theatre and drama production of a high quality, thereby building the audience of the future.”

Directed by Thokozile Ntshinga, Amaza is a thriller set in a rural village in the Transkei.  A police detective stationed in Port Elizabeth is investigating a private and personal matter.  This case takes him back to the village where he and the woman he married came from.  His visit there coincides with the double funeral of a couple that were mysteriously murdered in Johannesburg.

Adultery, deceit and lies are just some of the ingredients of this intriguing tale. His investigation takes him to Johannesburg, then to Swaziland and back to Port Elizabeth. As he is trying to solve the mystery, he stumbles across the evidence he was looking for in the first place.

Performance Dates: 10.30 am and 2 pm on May 18, May 23. May 24, 10.30 am on May 25, 10.30 am and 2 pm on May 26, May 27. May 30, May 31. June 1 and June 2.

For more information on production and ticket bookings (at R40 per person), please contact Sedrico Husselman, Artscape School Liaison Unit Manager on 021 410 9927 or email sluproj@artscape.co.za.