A Voice I Cannot Silence

A Voice I Cannot Silence is a play by Greg Homann and Ralph Lawson.

The original text
Producer Sue Clarence and Ralph Lawson approached Greg Homann to work on the project in 2013, and it was eventually presented on the main programme at the National Arts Festival in 2015.

The play offers an examination of life as portrayed in Alan Paton's stories, poems, and autobiographies. It explores weighty and often controversial issues including his role within the Liberal Party, his years as Principal of the Diepkloof Reformatory, his belief in and struggle for human rights, and the complexities of his personal relationships.

The original production won three Naledi Theatre Awards in 2015 (Best Lead Performance in a Play - Male; Best Newcomer and Best New SA Script).

Performance history in South Africa
2015: Funded by the National Arts Festival and the South African State Theatre, and produced by The Arts Trust of South Africa, the play opened at the National Arts Festival in July, and then played as the Independent Newspaper Flagship Production in the Hilton College Theatre at the Hilton Arts Festival on 19 and 20 September and the Momentum Theatre at the South African State Theatre in October. Directed by Greg Homann with Ralph Lawson as Paton; Clare Mortimer as his secretary Anne Hopkins and Menzi Mkhwane as the young man Sponono. Produced and managed by Sue Clarence, with set design by Nadya Cohen, lighting design by Michael Broderick,  a soundscape by Evan Roberts and photography by Anthony Stonier.

2016: Performed at the Theatre on the Square in Sandton in April, The Loft Theatre at The Playhouse in Durban in May and The Fugard Studio Theatre in June-July by the original cast.

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