Last Journey
Last Journey is a 1959 play by Alan Paton (1903-1988).
Original text
The play is a historical drama about the death of the British explorer and missionary David Livingstone.
The play opened in the Waddington Community Centre in Lusaka on 3 May 1959. When asked why he had chosen Lusaka for the premiere, Paton explained that “Livingstone, the subject of my play, was more closely connected with this country than any other”. Paton's choice of venue was also influenced by his keen interest in the Waddington Club which was open to “members of any race, over the age of 18, duly proposed and seconded, and approved by the Committee”. Its constitution explicitly stated that “No person shall be barred from membership of the Waddington Club solely on grounds of race, colour or creed”.
Performance history in South Africa
Sources
Hermann Wittenberg. 2007. Alan Paton’s writing for the stage: towards a non-racial South African theatre. South African Theatre Journal, 1: 307-327.
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