Sizwe Bansi is Dead

by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona. (The second name is also spelled Banzi and linguistically the latter is apparently the correct usage, though conventional usage has become “Bansi”.) An enormously influential workshopped play about a man (Sizwe) who takes on the identity of a dead man (Robert Zwelenzima), in order to circumvent the apartheid strictures and obtain work. Based on a photograph Fugard had seen and the experiences and recollections of Kani and Ntshona. First performed for one Sunday night on October 15th 1972 at The Space (Cape Town), directed by Fugard and performed by Kani and Ntshona. Lighting by Brian Astbury and stage management by Bee Berman. The first full run in 197*. The production also travelled to **. *** First published by *** 1986.

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