Curse of the Starving Class

American playwright and actor Sam Shepard's (1943-2017) [1] play in three acts Curse of the Starving Class. Themes that directly relate to South Africa such as the individual's starving for identity and the predatory nature of the norms set by society form the basis of the play.

The original text

First performed in London in April 1977. Published in Plays Two by Sam Shepard, Faber & Faber, 1997.

Translations and adaptations

Vloek van die Verhongerdes, the translation into Afrikaans in 1980 by Marco van der Colff.

Performance history in South Africa

1986: Presented by CAPAB at the Nico Arena opening 21 January 1986, directed and designed by Marthinus Basson, with Antoinette Kellermann (Ella), Neels Coetzee (Weston), Margaretha Fischer (Emma), David Dennis (Taylor), Phillip Boucher (Ellis), Owen de Jager (Malcolm/Slater), Mark Fleishman (Emmerson) and David Tomsu (Wesley). Lighting Malcolm Hurrell.

1994: The Rhodes University Drama Department Honours student production was directed by Adam Neill in August.

2018: A Woordfees production was directed by Sylvaine Strike, starring Neil McCarthy, Rob van Vuuren, Leila Henriques, Roberto Pombo, Anthony Coleman, Inge Crafford-Lazarus and Damon Berry. Set design by Chen Nakar and Andrea van der Kuil, lighting design by Mannie Manim, costumes by Andrea van der Kuil and Sylvaine Strike. Stage manager Loren Nel.

Sources

Wikipedia [2].

Curse of the Starving Class programme, 1986.

Various entries in the NELM catalogue relating to the 1994 production.

Woordfees 2018 programme book, p. 152.

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