#Woordfees2018: Poetic dispositions in Fotostaatmasjien
- Lance-Selae August
- Mar 23, 2018
- 2 min read
Bibi Slippers’ anthology of poetry, Fotostaatmasjien, cleverly adapted for stage rocked audiences at Rhenish Girls High School, as part of the 2018 US Woordfees. The production was written by Bibi Slippers and directed by acclaimed Afrikaans theatre-maker, Wessel Pretorius. The staging of the production was made possible through funding from the Nasionale Afrikaanse Teater-inisiatief.
A bit about the production:
The production is presented as a poetry reading at an eisteddfod, and makes use of a fictitious drama group, which is made up of the ensemble cast Schalk Bezuidenhout, Kathleen Stephens, Len-Barry Simons, Emma Kotze, Anna-Mart van der Merwe and Bibi Slippers. Fotostaatmasjien is postmodernism at its best, and explores personal, professional and public personas pertinent to Slippers. It is at the intersection of pop music, cats, birds of different feathers, and the existential passion around photocopies.
On a deeper level, Slippers’ poetry and the production focuses on themes which involve reflecting on the work of various poets. The writing is greatly philosophical, and incorporates montage, a Charlie Chaplin influence. The greater message conveyed through the poetry encapsulates life lessons, the absurdity of religion, and pop cultural references that many of the younger audiences can relate to. On the technical front, the production featured a set design, costume design and sound design filled with various elements which illustrated in an equal ratio, a literal and figurative interpretation of the Slippers’ poetry.
I had a have a brief chat with Pretorius.
What was it like directing and co-ordinating the ensemble cast?
It was a wonderful process working with a larger cast than I usually do. All the performers were a joy to work with. It became quite clear that this was going to be an ensemble piece with no big parts. Everybody slotted into this vibe quite easily. The performers were sweet, hard-working, lovely to work with and perfect at committing to the style presented in Fotostaatmasjien. It was a wonderful process, and I can’t wait to see what happens to the production at KKNK.
On a much heavier note, spectators of art should be cognisant and aware that viewing a work of art or theatre production lends itself to a great deal of subjectivity and personal bias. This being said, audiences should not be deterred by the mixed reviews that this production has received. This abstract work of art was worth the time, and worth the watch.
Fotostaatmasjien has since completed its US Woordfees debut, but Oudtshoorn audiences are in for a treat as this production will show at this years Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (in Gimsaal, specifically) from 31 March to 4 April. Tickets range from R140 to R155 and can be purchased at Computicket outlets and at the door.
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