Faustus in Africa

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Faustus in Africa is a play by William Kentridge, Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones (with additional text by Lesego Rampolokeng) and the Handspring Puppet Company - a multimedia blend of video, music, acting and puppetry.

See Faust by Goethe.

The original text

Based on the legend of Faust, the sixteenth-century learned scholar who squandered his fortune and then sold his soul to the devil in exchange for additional time to search for the meaning of existence through travel and indulgences.

In this version Handspring’s Faustus, having made his pact with the devil, goes on a safari. Indulging in elaborate feasts and buying sprees, Faustus attempts to consume all that Africa has to offer. Transposed to Africa his desires become those of the archetypal greedy colonialist – his victims the African people and their land. [1]

World première on 22 June 1995 at the Weimar Arts Festival in Germany, produced by Handspring Puppet Company in association with The Market Theatre, Art Bureau (Munich), Kunstfest (Weimar), Standard Bank National Arts Festival, The Foundation for the Creative Arts, Sharp Electronics and Mannie Manim Productions.

Translations and adaptations

In 2025 Kentridge and the Handspring Puppet Theatre, in association with , created a A reimagined staging of the play was produced by Quaternaire/Paris and restaged with co-production support of The Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town (Cape Town), Centre d'art Battat (Montreal), Kunstfest (Weimar), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Théâtre de la Ville/Festival d'Automne (Paris).

Performance history in South Africa

1995: Premièred in South Africa at the Grahamstown Festival, directed by William Kentridge, with Dawid Minnaar (Faustus), Antoinette Kellerman (Helen of Troy and Witch), Leslie Fong (Mephisto), Busi Zokufa (Gretchen an God), Louis Seboko (Johnston), Basil Jones (Hyena), Adrian Kohler (Hyena) - music by James Phillips. Design by William Kentridge and Adrian Kohler, lighting design Mannie Manim, costumes by Hazel Maree and Hiltrud von Seydlitz.

1995: The same production was staged at the Market Theatre in July. The production won the 1996 Vita Award for Best Production of the Year of a new SA Play. BEING EDITED 2025: The reimagined staging of the play opened in the Baxter Flipside at the Baxter Theatre, Cape Town from 26 February to 22 March. Directed by William Kentridge with Handspring Puppet Company and Lara Foot as Associate Director. Design by Adrian Kohler and William Kentridge, animation by William Kentridge. Creative Team Director: William Kentridge Associate Director: Lara Foot Puppetry Directors: Adrian Kohler & Basil Jones (Handspring Puppet Company) Associate Puppetry Director: Enrico Dau Yang Wey Design: Adrian Kohler & William Kentridge Animation: William Kentridge Puppet Construction: Adrian Kohler & Tau Qwelane Puppet Costumes: Hazel Maree, Hiltrud von Seidlitz & Phyllis Midlane Special Effects: Simon Dunckley Set Design: Adrian Kohler Set Construction: Dean Pitman Set Painting & Dressing: Nadine Minnaar for Scene Visual Productions Translation: Robert David MacDonald Additional text: Lesego Rampolokeng Music: James Phillips & Warrick Sony Lighting Design & Production Management: Wesley France

The cast consisted of Attandwa Kani, Jennifer Steyn and Wessel Pretorius, with puppeteers Asanda Rilityana, Buhle T. Stefane, Eben Genis and Mongi Nthombeni.

Sources

http://www.handspringpuppet.co.za/handspring-productions/faustus-in-africa/

Faustus in Africa theatre programme, 1995.

Ruphin Coudyzer. 2023. Annotated list of his photographs of Market Theatre productions. (Provided by Coudyzer)

https://baxter.uct.ac.za/events/faustus-africa

Faustus in Africa Baxter Theatre poster, March 2025.

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