Sylvia

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Sylvia is the title given to two play texts, both one-woman pieces about the life and work of Sylvia Plath, compiled from her writings.

A third local play about Plath is Sylvia Plath - The Woman and her Work by Ken Green

Sylvia by Ian Ferguson (1977)

Originally written by Ian Ferguson (1937-) in the late 1970s, it is a one-woman piece about the life and work of Sylvia Plath, compiled from her writings. Described as "a prose narrative and commentary woven around the life and work of Sylvia Plath" by critic Tony Voss[1].

The text published in Contemporary South African Plays (compiled by Ernest Pereira, published by Ravan Press, 1977)

Translations and adaptations

See the Linda Pienaar text below

Performance history in South Africa

1970s: Staged at the Little Theatre, Cape Town

Sylvia by Linda Pienaar (1987)

According to the director Johann van Heerden, this text had been compiled by actress Linda Pienaar from a range of sources while a student at the University of Stellenbosch.

A typed copy of the text for this play was found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department's theatre archives and now held in the Performing Arts Research Collection (PARC) at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation, with offices at Pieter Okkers House, 7 Joubert Street, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

It could possibly be an adaptation of the published Ferguson text.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1987: Performed by Linda Pienaar at the Drama Department, Stellenbosch University, directed by Johann van Heerden.

Sources

Ernest Pereira (comp). 1977. Contemporary South African Plays. Johannesburg: Ravan Press.

Tony Voss. 1978. Review: Contemporary South African Plays. South African History Online[2]

Theatre programme for the production of Ian Ferguson's Falstaff (1984)

Curriculum Vitae of Johann van Heerden (2011)

Linda Pienaar. 1987. Typed copy of Sylvia, found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department's theatre archives and now held in the Performing Arts Research Collection (PARC) at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation, with offices at Pieter Okkers House, 7 Joubert Street, Stellenbosch, South Africa.


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