Boesman and Lena

by Athol Fugard. A play about two wandering “coloured” vagrants who speculate on life, love and freedom. Perhaps one of Athol Fugard’s most celebrated works, a setwork for schools in post-1994 South Africa.

First published in 1966??? Published in Buren as well as in Boesman and Lena and Other Plays (Oxford University Press).

1969: First performed at Rhodes University in 1969, directed by Athol Fugard with Fugard and Yvonne Bryceland and Glynn Day.

1970: Produced by the Cape Performing Arts Board( in a CAPAB, PACT and Phoenix Players collaboration), with Athol Fugard, Yvonne Bryceland and ***?.

1993: Jerry Mofokeng directed a version of this play starring Bill Curry, Nomhle Nkonyeni and James Mthoba at Upstairs at the Market in 1993.

2012: Production by Daphne Kuhn, directed by James Ncgobo, starring Quanita Adams, Elton Landrew and Charly Azade, ran at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square until June 30 2012.

2014: Performed by Prompt Side Productions, supported by the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT), at the Hexagon Theatre, Pietermaritzburg. Directed by Brenda-Lee Celewith Sade Wagner, Tshepang Koloko and Musa Nkomo.

Film versions

Has twice been filmed:

19** by Ross Devenish with the 1970 cast,

2000 A film by Anant Singh??? With Danny Glover ??* ** and ***.

Translations

Translated into Afrikaans by respectively** Alta Coetzee, Frederick B. Philander and Petrovna Metelerkamp: Boesman en Lena. Directed by Cobus Rossouw for PACOFS in 1980, starring Sandra Kotzé and Schalk Jacobsz.

An Afrikaans production by Die Bywoners (Schalk Jacobsz and Elma Potgieter) in 198*.

Metelerkamp's translation was directed by Gerben Kamper for PACOFS and the Vrystaat Ensemble at the KKNK 1998, starring Maurice Carpede, Maria de Koker and Babes Mphatseng.

Sources

PACOFS Drama 25 Years, 1963-1988.

KKNK programme, 1998.

Return to B in Plays 1 Original SA Plays

Return to B in Plays 2 Foreign Plays

Return to South_African_Theatre/Plays

Return to Main Page