Die meermin-kompleks
Die meermin-kompleks by Dianne du Toit Albertze (19**-)
Die meermin-kompleks ("The mermaid complex") is a twenty-minute Afrikaans one-woman drama, performed by the author. Its subject has not been traced in detail*, though the author has described the writing as an act of introspection about her own trauma and life choices, undertaken partly as a form of healing.
Contents
The original text
Written in the creative writing class of the playwright Malan Steyn during the author's final undergraduate year at Stellenbosch University, and her first one-woman piece. The text was selected by Teksmark and staged the following year. After the festival it was nominated for the Kanna for best text and for best Uitkampteater production, and the author received the Kanna for best emerging artist. No published text has been traced*.
Translations and adaptations
None traced*.
Performance history in South Africa
2018: First staged by the author at the KKNK Uitkampteater, Oudtshoorn, an initiative in which twenty-minute productions are performed in open-air tents to give newcomers a platform for their work.
Sources
'Eerste Kanna in die sak vir teater-nuweling van Die Meermin-kompleks', LitNet, 24 May 2018.
Griebenow, Marina. 2025. 'Ons change die narrative van Namakwaland', INK (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees), 16 October 2025.
Meyer, Naomi. 2025. 'Die wenner van die Nagtegaal-teksprys: 'n onderhoud met Dianne du Toit Albertze', LitNet, 8 May 2025.
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