SAST presents The Iron – an award-winning Soshanguve-birthed play
A Soshanguve-based community theatre group highlights the greed, corruption, gender-based violence and femicide that is prevalent in their community through their award-winning drama production The Iron.
A Soshanguve-based community theatre group highlights the greed, corruption, gender-based violence and femicide that is prevalent in their community through their award-winning drama production The Iron. Picture: Thobeka Shoba.
JOHANNESBURG – As people, we make sense of our life experiences in part by the stories we learn or tell ourselves, stories that confront complex issues and inspire communities to action.
A Soshanguve-based community theatre group has done just this, through their award-winning drama production The Iron.
The play highlights the greed, corruption, gender-based violence and femicide that is prevalent in their community, and by extension in South Africa.
“Gender-based violence is at its peak, and it’s our second pandemic. We wanted to bring awareness of the challenges the country is facing,” said writer of The Iron – Emmanuel Mashigo.
#OnTheAfricanTheatreStage this week
The South African State Theatre in Association with the Movement theatre production and Projects (PTY) Ltd proudly presents The Iron written by Emmanuel Mashigo
Date: 6th Sept- 2nd Oct 2022
Tickets: https://t.co/pFpW4vMPGL pic.twitter.com/wlbYcYOmLlThe African Theatre Magazine (@AfriTheatreMag) September 21, 2022
The Iron seeks to expose the rot within power.
It follows a series of bad circumstances that unfold when a blacksmith is entrusted with the responsibility of fixing a pure gold antique steam iron.
“It seeks to expose the corruption of people that are in power, in that it helps people to see if they are exploited or not; to make people aware of the outcome of greed,” said Mashigo to Eyewitness News.
Witness the lust, greed and corruption rampant in THE IRON that is NOW SHOWING.
BOOK your tickets on Webtickets https://t.co/Xq7nL1DdL2
Thobeka Shoba. pic.twitter.com/CJcXXw5ALl
SA State Theatre (@sastatetheatre) September 13, 2022
Applying cinematic and symbolic visual effects, the production uses the antique steam iron as a symbol to showcase malignancy and animosity in the overall society.
“I would like for people to acknowledge when they’re having challenges and seek help rather than resorting to violence and femicide. And also for them to become agents of change- change starts with us, and it’s up to us to make a positive choice,” said Mashigo.
“Advocacy is essential in communities in that it makes people aware of the things happening around them, and yes it makes a difference in that people become courageous to open cases for perpetrators without fear,” said Mashigo.
Mashigo and director of the play – S’phiwe Malusi Geldenhuys are experienced community theatre makers who have used their craft to influence social change in their communities.
“Telling stories of where we come from is to encourage and inspire artists not to stop believing in telling stories that address social issues so that people can relate to true events that we are facing daily,” said Mashigo.
Here’s The Iron that is causing chaos Catch it hot on its 1st week underway. This spellbinding drama follows a series of bad circumstances that unfold when a blacksmith is entrusted with a responsibility to fix a gold steam iron.
BOOK to watch The Iron https://t.co/Xq7nL1DdL2 pic.twitter.com/F1QJBjB0WA
SA State Theatre (@sastatetheatre) September 8, 2022
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