#mountainlanguage

And finally, the Sketches, the second half of Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches. Ten of Pinter’s finest works, including: Silence Night, That’s Your Trouble, That’s All, Trouble In The Works, Special Offer, Request Stop, Applicant, Dialogue for Three, Last To Go & The Black and White.

This half of the show picked up as soon as Mountain Language ended, portraying a jarring yet comical set of vignettes that display the absurdities of Western society. The pairing of Pinter’s sketches with Mountain Language was designed to show the harsh duality of those who are not free, those who are suffering under tyranny, whilst somewhere else on the very same planet, or even same continent, there are two men arguing about sprockets and nuts and bolts.

I was lucky to act in three great sketches, Trouble In The Works with Mlindeli Zondi, Last To Go with Ivan Dos Santos and Request Stop with Thandi Belfort, Nokuthula Mkhwanazi and Mlindeli Zondi again. I truly believe that in each skit, every actor was challenged so greatly by Pinter’s texts. At first, it’s confusing and banal when read, but when we analysed and really sat down with each sketch the comedy was nearly unparalleled. Each sketch was unique, equally as menacing, maniacal, soothing and easy to watch. 

It was also a great release to perform comedy after so long into the year. I was incredibly grateful to Tina for allowing the comedic side of me come out in each sketch, as the two previous plays I performed were heavily experimental and dramatic. Nothing wrong with either, but I think along the way, actors forget just how equally important and meaningful comedy can be. The gift to make others laugh is a great one and should not be wasted. As I write this, I’ve leaned more and more towards comedy as a career path. I’m not fully in yet... but I’ve got my big flat banana foot in the door.

Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches

Written by Harold Pinter.

Directed by Tina Johnson. 

Performed by Mlindeli Zondi, Thandi Belfort, Shelby Storme Kuhn, Ivan Dos Santos, Nokuthula Mkhwanazi, Harry Faulkner, Tebogo Machaba, Sera Nansubuga, Nomonde Kananda & Joel Leonard.

19th - 24th September 2016. 

Wits Downstairs Theatre.

Wits Theatre. 

September 2016. Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches. The play that never was. Somehwhere out there, there’s an alternate universe where Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches managed to be staged after the Fees Must Fall Protests of 2016, and the entire cast got to rest well knowing that this play’s ill fated end won’t haunt them to this day. This was an INCREDIBLE piece of theatre that only managed to have a preview in the Wits Downstairs Theatre, but eventually cancelled due to the escalating violence on campus during Fees Must Fall 2016. 

Directed by Tina Johnson, Mountain Language is a fifteen minute play written by Harold Pinter, in response to the Reagan administration’s tampering with the Venezualan government during the Cold War. The play followed the lives of  refugees in a military camp, detained for unknown reasons. I played the villainous Lieutenant, an absolutely sadistic, twisted, son of a bitch. He was the most difficult character I ever played. In every rehearsal I had to slap Sera’s backside, grope her and try to kiss her and viciously attack one of the women waiting in line. I felt so bad after every scene and made sure I didn’t hurt anyone. I remember for the tech rehearsal, I had to throw my big boot at one of the women in the line, and it flew higher than usual, hitting Buntu Petse square on the thigh. I was terrified I had hurt her but thankfully it didn’t. The pictures you see up here are of the rendition of Mountain Language. The second half of the show was comprised of sketches written sporadically by Pinter, but always performed after Mountain Language.

I wonder about this play often. I wish it would return, especially now that I’ve grown as an actor, I’d love to tackle the complex and psychological writing of Pinter. Gosh, this certainly can’t be my last Pinter play. I lived, breathed and ate this play for nearly three months. We started rehearsal’s in July and were set to premiere in September. We were directed by Tina Johnson, an absolute character of a woman. Aptly nicknamed Tiger Tina, she was old school and meticulous about what she wanted. She’s a New Yorker, and listening to her stories of theater and life was like living in a movie. She’s the sister to the late Torger Johnson, she’s worked with Michael Shannon. Wow. I worked very hard to listen to her and man did I grow as an actor. We all did. 

I was also fortunate enough to work with Mlindeli Zondi, Sera Nansubuga and Tebogo Machaba, three brilliant actors who led by example and gave me great insight in approaching character. I’ll never forget how Sera, without fail, would cry during one of the torture scenes. It was miraculous to experience.  

Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches

Directed by Tina Johnson. 

Written by Harold Pinter.

Starring Mlindeli Zondi, Sera Nansubuga, Shelby Storme Kuhn, Nokuthula Mkhwanazi, Harry Faulkner, Ivan Dos Santos, Tebogo Machaba, Nomonde Kananda, Thandi Belfort & Joel Leonard.

19th - 24th September (Cancelled after preview on the nineteenth due to protests.)

2016.

Wits Downstairs Theatre.