I recently went to see a play written by Duncan Buwalda called Dream, Brother. It was put on at the Intimate Theatre at Hiddingh Campus in Cape Town, and was quite an impressive performance. It was a story perfect for such a small setting, as it involves the intricate day-to-day lives of accessible characters.
The play was directed by Tara Louise Notcutt and is an intimate look at four seemingly unconnected characters whose lives are unexpected and somewhat tragically intertwined.
Two artists in their own rights, a painter (woman) meets a writer (man) at a book reading and the first half of the play follows their magical fall into love with one another. They go for coffee together, recite poems to one another and basically find companionship together. The progression of their relationship is light, happy and carefree but is interrupted by the telling of another love story; that of a psychologist and his veterinary wife.
The story takes on a darker, less realist note as the psychologist gets closer to the end of his story, and the two lovers become entangled in each other’s lives. It becomes clear that behind the light-heartedness of their relationship and the carefree way in which they explore the world together there is a brutal secret that threatens to rip apart the perfect world they have created.
The characters are played by Carel Nel (writer), Wilhelm van der Walt (psychologist) and Cintaine Schutte (painter), all of whom put on poignant performances. Carel plays the mischievous writer who instantly falls for Cintaine’s character and uses all his charm and humour to win her over. Wilhelm’s character is more serious; he doesn’t play games while Cintaine’s painter is a whirlwind character who gets lost and found along the way.
This is Duncan Buwalda’s second professional play. His first, Hinterland, was performed as a reading at the Baxter Theatre and followed a biographical stance on two well-known South African personalities; Cecil John Rhodes and Sol Plaatje. This teacher turned playwright displays a gentle yet real understanding of the underlying layers that make people authentic.
The setting of the story was inspired by Jack Vettriano’s seaside paintings and the magical world of The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear. Buwalda brought to life a world where reality overlaps with dream worlds, and where the boundaries between the two are questioned in a painful climax. It will be very interesting to see what he comes up with next.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
