The Essence

The Essence is a play by Douglas Tsimane.

The original text
It tells the tale of Vuyiswa and her father, who live together. She was forced to marry the man who raped her after she fell pregnant. Admitted to a psychiatric hospital, she endured the terror of electroshock therapy and had her child taken away from her.

Performance history in South Africa
2001: A performance of the play at the Market Theatre formed part of the Barney Simon young writers festival, directed by Sello Maake ka Ncube and Percy Mtwa, starring Harriet Lehabe as Vuyiswa and David Phetoe as the father. Thulani Mngomezulu was the stage manager.

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