View source for My Life

A play workshopped under the guidance of [[Athol Fugard]] in 1994.

== Subject ==
For his first production in the new South Africa Fugard went back to the workshop method he had used decades earlier with the [[Serpent Players]] in Port Elizabeth, which resulted in milestone productions such as ''[[The Island]]'' (1973), developed with [[John Kani]] and [[Winston Ntshona]]. Fugard again used inexperienced actors to develop ''[[My Life]]'', bringing together five young South African women, ages ranging from 15 to 21, from across the racial spectrum.  He facilitated the documentation of each one’s personal experiences during the final days of apartheid and the first days of democracy. With director [[Rebecca Waddell]], he then developed their “journals” into a stage presentation with each of the five girls narrating her own story. In an interview with ''[[The Star]]'' Fugard described the aim of the project in simple and direct terms: “...to reflect and celebrate the cultural diversity and contrasts of our South African reality” (Sichel, 1994).

== Performance history in South Africa ==
''[[My Life]]'', sub-titled “An allegory for Reconciliation”, premièred in the [[Tesson Theatre]] at the [[Johannesburg Civic]] in June 1994, workshopped by [[Athol Fugard]], directed by [[Rebecca Waddell]], with [[Elleanor Busi Mthimunye]], [[Reshoketswe Maredi]], [[Heather Leite]], [[Riana Jacobs]] and [[Sivagamy Govender]]. The same production was staged at the [[Grahamstown Festival]] in July 1994.

==Translations and adaptations==

== Sources ==
[Van Heerden (2008)][http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.sun.ac.za%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10019.1%2F1443%2Fvanheerden_theatre_2008.pdf%3Fsequence%3D1&ei=_egBU77CNYWJhQeE5oCADQ&usg=AFQjCNEWnD1BzeLnFmOV2tvyGLoMyNeT6Q&bvm=bv.61535280,d.Yms]. p 95.

Photograph by [[Basil Mills]] of the original cast of ''My life'' by Athol Fugard: Riana Jacobs, Reshoketswe Maredi, Sivagamy Govender, Heather Leite, Rebecca Waddell (assistant director) and Busi Mthimuny held by [[NELM]]: Photograph collection [Collection: FUGARD, Athol]: 2016. 68. 20.

Transcript of recorded interview by [[Veronica Bowker]] with the cast of "My life": [[NELM]] Location: THE 822. 3 FUG.

Go to [[South African Theatre/Bibliography|ESAT Bibliography]]

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