The Blood Knot

A 1961 two-hander play by Athol Fugard.

Subject

The only two characters in the play are the brothers Morris and Zachariah. Both were raised by the same black mother, but have different fathers, and Morris is much more fair-skinned than Zachariah. Morris can pass for white, and has done so in the past, but now he has returned to live with Zachariah in a small, miserable shack in the "colored" section of Port Elizabeth. Morris keeps the house, while Zachariah works to support them both. They are saving money in hopes of buying a farm of their own some day. Both Morris and Zachariah have rich imaginations and have taken part in role-playing games together since they were small boys. [1]

Performance history in South Africa

1961: After one performance at the Rhodes Theatre in Grahamstown in July 1961 it premièred for only one performance on 3rd September, 1961 before an invited interracial audience in the Rehearsal Room at Dorkay House in Johannesburg, directed by the playwright, with Athol Fugard as Morris and Zakes Mokae as Zachariah. Designs by Frank Graves. This was the first stage production with and interracial cast staged in South Africa.

1962: Staged at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town on 12 February 1962 and, commissioned by the British publisher Andrew Deutsch, in London’s West End in May 1962.

1976: Later Fugard reworked it and changed the title to Blood Knot. This was staged in the Upstairs at the Market, directed by Benjy Francis and starring Benjy Francis and Fats Bookholane in 1976.

1988: Staged by PACT, directed by Barney Simon, with John Kani (Zachariah) and Marcel van Heerden (Morris).

1990: Staged by Little Theatre Tours at UCT Arena Theatre, directed by Christopher Weare, with Christopher Gxalaba and Tim Greene, May 1990.

1998: Staged in the Pieter Roos Theatre at The Civic in Johannesburg, directed by Mark Graham, with Ian Roberts and Zane Meas.

Translations and adaptations

Bloedbroers, an Afrikaans translation by Kobus J. Kotze was performed at the KKNK and Aardklop in 2009, directed by Zane Meas with Christo Davids and Hennie Jacobs.

Published

First published in 1961/4?*. A revised version was published under the title Blood Knot in 198* and performed by ** in 1988**. (See Gosher, 1988) Blood Knot, The by Athol Fugard.

Published in Simondium and also in Boesman and Lena ''and Other Plays'' (Oxford University Press).