Action-Packed Political Thriller Opens TUT’s Theatrical Season

ASKARI, a political thriller packed with action, will kick off the Department of Performing Arts’ theatre season on 25 May (Africa Day) at the Breytenbach Theatre. This is the first play to be staged at a university in Africa.

This play was nominated and won multiple Naledi Theatre Awards in 2021 and tells the story of freedom fighters who worked for the Vlakplaas counterinsurgency unit, which executed and tortured anti-apartheid activists as double agents, informers, intelligence analysts, and deadly assassins.

Action-Packed Political Thriller Opens TUT’s Theatrical Season

Mduduzi Nhlapo, who doubles as choreographer, and Sello Maseko are the playwrights. In the Public Performance category of the Humanities and Social Sciences Awards, the play has won several accolades for this creative duo.

Director Maseko follows unsuspecting youth and influential leaders who are recruited by infiltrating organised civic movements. Rather than insurgencies, it takes a counterinsurgency approach, contrasting community activists with mass killers.

ASKARI delves deep into the personal accounts of these individuals who administered pain, fear and death. These stories of betrayal, death, redemption and forgiveness are captured through music, dance and powerful storytelling.

As TUT’s Director of Performing Arts and producer of ASKARI, Rostislava Pashkevitch-Ngobeni stresses that the university strives to be a university for the people and to take the journey from good to great. This is the first time an African university has participated in this groundbreaking project,” she continues.

This production explores the history of South Africa, offering many opportunities for storytelling, in a very brave move by Dr Pashkevitch-Ngobeni. She was also able to introduce her students to this country’s history.

She emphasizes that her Department is proud to be working on this pilot edition of revolutionary work and to bring together industry and higher education.

This production also addresses social ills through the Faculty’s Artivism vision, a portmanteau of art and activism.

ASKARI, which features a cast of TUT Performing Arts students, will be staged at the Breytenbach Theatre (137 Gerard Moerdyk Street, Sunnyside) as follows:

• 25 – 27 May @ 19:00
• 28 May @ 15:00
• 30 May – 1 June @ 19:00

For more information and bookings, please send an email to [email protected]