Theatrical Context

“In fact, there are large areas of South Africa where there is no electricity, and therefore no television, and where television signals can't be picked up. We've found that theatre has become a major forum for looking at the past and talking about the future “ (Fugard). Thus theatre was a the prominent space for passive resistance during Apartheid. “Politics is there in everything we do in South Africa. So, the notion of telling a story in South Africa and not being political is naive” (Fugard). The mere act of putting black and white actors on the stage made a statement, and put theaters on the Government’s close watch. Many of Fugard’s plays had to be produced outside of South Africa. Yet, “In South Africa, black audiences bewilderingly (as white South Africans see it) laugh much more readily, even at some very tragic things. The reason being not that they are found funny as such, but simply that laughter is a survival mechanism in South Africa. (Fugard).  In the late 80s, as part of cosmetic attempts to present to the outside world a version of South Africa they were pressuring see, the atmosphere relaxed and theatre became more open to all audiences.