Short Fuse Podcast #72: Bearing Witness — Theatre in South Africa
By Elizabeth Howard
Episode Summary
In this Short Fuse episode, Elizabeth Howard speaks with actor, director, playwright, influential drama lecturer, and theatre administrator Malcolm Purkey, who shares his personal journey through the world of theatre during a time of political upheaval in South Africa. How did artists navigate censorship, embrace improvisation, and use their craft as a powerful tool for resistance and change, from the vibrant musical evenings of his childhood to the transformative plays of Athol Fugard?
Purkey raises the questions: “Where is South Africa going? How do we decolonize in a way that’s for real? What does that mean? Does it mean that the 11 official languages are even given equal weight across the board? Those are hard questions. And I’m not sure if I can even yet understand.”
Howard is recording in South Africa, researching and listening to learn more about how the legacy of apartheid continues to shape the artistic landscape today.
Episode Notes
South African writer and director Malcolm Purkey. He co-founded the Junction Avenue Theatre Company in 1976. Among many other awards for his work, he has won the Breytenbach Epathlon for Best Director of the Year (1978), the AA Vita Award for best play (1986, 2000), and the Fleur du Cap award for Best Director (2011).
Born to Cockney Jewish immigrant parents who were entertainers, Malcolm Purkey is an actor, director, playwright, influential drama lecturer, and theatre administrator. He holds a BA and Honours from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits); an MA in Theatre Studies from the State University of New York, Binghamton; is a Fulbright Scholar; and is a graduate of the British Film School.
His career and contribution to theatre are monumental. It started in the mad, bohemian world of Adam Leslie. While still a student, he designed and developed The Box and The Nunnery Theatres for Wits, and then managed the influential Workshop 71. He surrounded himself with a group of artistic academic friends who regularly met in a house on Junction Avenue, Parktown. They formed the Junction Avenue Theatre Company, which created politically conscious plays that influenced theatre in South Africa.
Purkey took a position lecturing drama at Wits, became Head of Department, and an Associate Professor. He was later asked to assist the Market Theatre through a difficult period and turned it around. Purkey has been a force in the theatre community and has had an enormous impact on hundreds of students.
The Short Fuse Podcast is hosted and produced by Elizabeth Howard. Her articles on communication and marketing have appeared in European Communications, Investor Relations, Law Firm Marketing & Profit Report, Communication World, the Strategist, and the New York Law Journal, among others. Her books include Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Blackberry Pie (Thornwillow Press, 2011), A Day with Bonefish Joe (David Godine, 2015), and Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back (Easton Studio Press, 2016). She leads reading groups at the Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York. Find her on Instagram @elizh24. Learn more at Elizabeth Howard.
“Artists are here to disturb the peace.” James Baldwin.
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