NWABISA PLAATJIE | Reimagining The Native Who Caused All The Trouble

Reimagining The Native Who Caused All the Trouble was performed at Theatre Arts in August 2017. It continued to do a series of once-off performances at conferences, including the ICA at the A4 Arts Foundation.

Written by Danny Keogh, Vanessa Cooke and Fink Haysom
Adapted and Directed by Nwabisa Plaatjie
Performed by Faniswa Yisa, Kai Luke Brummer, Anele Kose, Duane Behrens and Nomakrestu Xakatugaga
Mentored by Tossie van Tonder
Set and Costume Design by Nwabisa Plaatjie
Poster Design by Warren Turner
Photos by Jesse Kramer

First performed at The Market Theatre in 1986, 'The Native who caused all the trouble' is a documentary play based on a true story that took place in 1937 when a deeply religious man who got evicted from his land refused to leave because he believed that all land belongs to God and cannot be owned by any one man or race. Nwabisa Plaatjie reimagines this play with a female protagonist, to remind us of the courage and understanding needed in the fight for land redistribution today.

Plaatjie says this about winning the bursary, “It’s an opportunity to create a piece of theatre with an intergenerational and racially diverse cast. A chance to engage with the land question, artistically. I am most looking forward to playing, experimenting, learning and developing my craft.”