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News Release Brooklyn Peter Jay Sharp Building Academy 30 LafayetteAvenue Brooklyn NY 11217- 1486 of Telephone: 718.636.4129 Music Fax: 718.857.2021 [email protected] CommunicationsDepartment News Release Sandy Sawotka Fatima Kafele John Wyszniewski Matthew Yeager BAM presents Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, directed by Aubrey Sekhabi and featuring Tony award-winning South African actors John Kani and Winston Ntshona Original actors reprise their roles from this landmark 1972 anti-apartheid play written in collaboration with Athol Fugard BAM 2008 Spring Season is sponsored by Bloomberg Sizwe Banzi Is Dead The Baxter Theatre Centre By Athol Fugard, John Kani, Winston Ntshona Directed by Aubrey Sekhabi Lighting design by Mannie Manim BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St) Apr 8, 10- 12, 15- 19 at 7:30pm Apr 13 at 3pm Tickets: $25, 35, 50, 60 718.636.4100 or BAM.org BAMdialogue with John Kani and Winston Ntshona , moderated by Anne Cattaneo Apr 10, post-show (free for same-day ticket holders) BAMtalk-Theater in South Africa: The New Millennium Apr 12 at 3pm BAM Hillman Attic Studio Tickets: $10 ($5 for Friends of BAM) Brooklyn, N.Y./March 4, 2008-BAM presents Tony Award-winning actors John Kani and Winston Ntshona in Sizwe Banzi Is Dead. Written by Kani, Ntshona, and acclaimed South African playwright Athol Fugard , the work created controversy at its 1972 Cape Town premiere. The play is now reprised with its original cast. 08 Sorin~- Sizwe Banzi is Dead 2 Sizwe Banzi Is Dead tells the story of Sizwe Banzi (Winston Ntshona), a rural black worker who leaves his home in King William ' s Town to seek work in Port Elizabeth , South Africa. He is, however , ordered to leave the district because he lacks the proper permit. With assistance from his friend Buntu (John Kani), he trades his name for a number and begins I ife as a dead man, wreaking havoc with his identity and sense of right and wrong. Delicately balancing humor and pathos, the work offers both a psychological history of the apartheid nightmare and timeless parables of the dehumanizing paradoxes of power. This production marks the return ofKani and Ntshona to BAM; they were last seen in a revival of the 1973 play The Island, which was presented as part of the BAM 2003 Spring season. Ten performances of Sizwe Banzi Is Dead will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater from April 8 through April 19. Tickets , priced at $25, 35, 50, and 60, can be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or by visiting BAM.erg. Sizwe Banzi Is Dead was revived by the Baxter Theatre Centre at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown , South Africa in June 2006, and transferred to London's National Lyttelton Theatre in March 2007. The Independent (U.K.) called it "a comic, touching but fiercely political work about the impossibility of life under apartheid and the pass law. A pleasure to watch and a perfectly balanced double act. Catch this piece of theatrical and political history while you can." The Cape Times (South Africa) said "There's a new generation out there that simply must see this superb production with two of South Africa's theatre legends .. .to call this production 'spellbinding' or 'riveting' wouldn't come close." About the artists Athol Fugard was born in Middelburg in the Eastern Cape and grew up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Recognized as one of South Africa's most prolific writers and directors, Time magazine called him "the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world." Fugard's list of plays includes No-Good Friday, Nongogo, The Blood Knot, Hello and Goodbye, The Coat, "Master Haro/d" ... and the Boys, Valley Song, and Booitjie and the Oubaas, among others. His Valley Song had its world premiere in Cape Town as an opera in 2005. The acclaimed movie Tsotsi, based on his novel, won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2006. His awards include an Obie in 1970 for best foreign play, a London Evening Standard Award for Best Play in 1983, and a 1999 Audie Award. John Kani is an internationally recognized, multiple award -winning actor, director, and playwright. He has collaborated extensively with Fugard on plays such as Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island. His other theater credits include Blood Knot, Waiting for Godot, Play/and, and My Children! My Africa! In addition to his stage work, Kani has appeared in films such as Dry White Season and The Grass Is Singing , as well as two films written by Fugard-Marigolds in August and "Master Harold " ... and the Boys. His awards include a Tony in 1975 for his work in The Island, an Obie in 1993 for his extraordinary contribution to theater, and a Fleur du Cap award for best actor in 2002. Winston Ntshona is widely regarded as one of South Africa's finest and most distinguished actors . The Guardian (U.K.) has described him as "astonishing" and the Evening Standard (U.K.) praised him as "unreservedly superb ." In addition to his work with Fugard and Kani, his theater credits include The Trials of Brother Jero, The Death of Bessie Smith, and Full Frontal. His film roles include Dry White Season , Malunde , I Dreamed of Africa, and Blood Diamond, among others. Ntshona was awarded a Tony in 1975 for his work in The Island. He was awarded the Rapport Oskar for Best Actor in Marigolds in August in 1980 and in 1993 he was awarded an Obie for his extraordinary contribution to theater. Aubrey Sekhabi is currently the Artistic Director and Deputy CEO of the State Theatre in Pretoria. He has a lively interest in youth theater and is the driving force behind the Basha Youth Programme, 52 Seasons, and the Residency Programme at the State Theatre. He has written and/or directed Nkonyeni High, Mika, Silent Voice, Scome Around, On My Birthday, Homegirls, The Stick, Roadhouse, and Not with my Gun. Sekhabi's 1994 play Mika won him the South African FNB Vita Award for Most Original Production and in 1988 he received the more .. Sizwe Banzi is Dead 3 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Drama. His play Not with My Gun was nominated for four FNB Vita Awards in 1999, including Best Production and Best South African Play. Sekhabi serves on the Board of the North West Provincial Arts and Culture Council, the National Arts Festival and NELM. He is the Chairman and co-founder of GBR Productions. About the BAMtalk Theater in South Africa: The New Millennium Hillman Attic Studio (30 Lafayette Ave.) Apr 12 at 3pm $10 ($5 for Friends of BAM) 718.636.4100 orBAM.org How has theater changed in South Africa since Sizwe Banzi Is Dead premiered in Cape Town in 1972? Over a decade after the disbanding of apartheid, what does it mean to be an artist in today's South Africa? Actors John Kani and Winston Ntshona will be joined by Mannie Manim, director and CEO of the Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town; South African playwright/scholar Nadia Davids; Awam Amkpa , Director of Africana Studies at NYU; and Daniel Banks, associate teacher from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU for an in­ depth discussion. Anne Cattaneo, dramaturg at the Lincoln Center Theater, will moderate. For press information contact Fatima Kafele at 718.636.4129 x4 or fkafele @ bam.org. Credits BAM 2008 Spring Season is sponsored by Bloomberg. Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Leadership support for BAM Theater is provided by The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation , Inc., The Shubert Foundation , Inc., The SHS Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation , and The Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust. Leadership support for BAM Theater is provided by: The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., The Shubert Foundation, Inc., The SHS Foundation, and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; New York City Council; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Ford Foundation ; The New York State Music Fund; The Starr Foundation ; JPMorgan Chase ; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Carnegie Corporation ofNew York; Time Warner Inc.; The Kovner Foundation ; Booth Ferris Foundation; The Norman & Rosita Winston Foundation, Inc.; American Express Foundation ; Forest City Ratner; The Howard Gilman Foundation ; The Skirball Foundation; Target; Friends of BAM and BAM Cinema Club. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. RIGA is the BAM.org sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM. Sharp Electronics Corporation is BAM's Consumer Electronics Partner. BAM Lounge Furniture Provider is west elm. General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafe, and Brownstone Books at BAM are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafe, operated by Great Performances , is open for dining prior to Howard Gilman Opera House performances. BAMcafe also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafe Live nights on Friday and Saturday with a special BAMcafe Live menu available starting at 8pm. more ... Sizwe Banzi is Dead 4 Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue; D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette A venue Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.
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