Legacy

Legacy is a collaborative play by Daveshan Govender, Bheki Mkhwane and Ubuntubesizwe Productions.

The original text

The text is the result of the play development project run by Twist Theatre Development Projects in 2010, during which the play was developed by a professional playwright and professional director with a community theatre group.

After its performance in 2010, the text was published in four versions in the collection New South African Playscripts by Twist Theatre Development Projects in 2010. The versions are a full script in English, a full script in Zulu, a two-hander script in English and a two-hander script in Zulu.

Later adapted version performed as Belly of the Beast.

A complex piece packed with intrigue, drama and action and laced with subtle bits of comedy, dealing with a man stumbles upon a young stranger – presumed to be a thief – in his home one night. He is still recovering from his wife’s murder during a hijacking, so this sparks an interesting interaction between the man and this stranger. It ends in a shocking twist.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

2010: The initial 2 hander version of the play was performed as Legacy at the IsiGcawu Theatre Festival in KwaMashu and thereafter played for local audiences in the group's own community.

2011: Performed at the Musho International Theatre Festival in Durban in early 2011.

2011: A slightly reworked version of the original play, renamed Belly of the Beast, was performed in The Playhouse's Loft Theatre in June, directed by Rob Klarmann with Bheki Mkhwane and Menzi Mkhwane.