EMPATHEATRE, in collaboration with The Baxter, the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Unruly Natures research project, presents a return, full-length season of UNRULY by popular demand. Starring theatre luminary Andrew Buckland, accompanied on stage by award- winning jazz performer and composer Chantal Willie-Petersen on double bass, UNRULY will be performed for a limited season from 17 July – 2 August in The Baxter Studio.
Directed by esteemed theatre maker Neil Coppen, this immersive storytelling performance, based on extensive academic and creative research, explores the coexistence of urban baboons and humans in the fictional town of Skemer Baai, where tensions rise following the mysterious disappearance of a baboon matriarch.
UNRULY invites audiences to engage with the complexities of human-animal relationships, Cape Peninsula’s shared ecology, and the unpredictable forces of nature. Tensions run high as baboon politics divides a community seeking answers. UNRULY explores how we can understand the issue from multiple perspectives – painting in the process a rich picture of the Cape Peninsula’s complex history and shared ecology of mountain, ocean, urban and military environments, prone to wildfires, seas surges and messy human/animal relations.
UNRULY is co-written by Neil Coppen, Andrew Buckland and Dr Dylan McGarry. Completing the stellar creative team, the production features a new original score by Braam DuToit, working in collaboration with Willie-Petersen. Lighting design is by Tina le Roux and set and costumes by McGarry.
Buckland offers audiences a dynamic performance brimming with humour, compassion and his trademark physical theatre mastery alongside Willie-Petersen’s evocative live music.
The play was nominated for three Fleur De Cap Theatre Awards including Best Theatre Production, Best Solo Performance (Andrew Buckland) and Best Sound/Music (Chantal Willie-Petersen).
Ages 14+. Tickets cost R240 from Webtickets
