Our productions
Words as Bullets synopsis
'A', a young woman from Paris, is travelling through Europe after having successfully burnt down a library. 'B', a woman from a small township in Zimbabwe, is train-hopping around Europe at the same time - having just escaped a possible forced marriage. The two have a chance encounter when their trains pull into a station next to one another - throwing us into the action of the play. We slowly unravel the tangled balls of yarn that are their worlds and find that they are tied together through the fibers which are their spirits, their ancestors and maybe there is more. The plot is complex yet satisfying; allowing us to take a peek at the women's grandmothers', in their younger years, and learn more about their relationship with the illusive, omnipresent character, 'DCM'.
Watch 'A' and 'B' collide and refract over the course of their journeys. Backed by live, on-stage music (a fusion of Zimbabwean drums, cello, percussion and singing), the production contrasts and combines physical theatre, movement and dance in storytelling.
Words as Bullets, written by Butshilo Nleya, is a contemporary play where African and European theatre collide spectacularly. Our play asks questions about spirituality, ancestry and identity.
Watch 'A' and 'B' collide and refract over the course of their journeys. Backed by live, on-stage music (a fusion of Zimbabwean drums, cello, percussion and singing), the production contrasts and combines physical theatre, movement and dance in storytelling.
Words as Bullets, written by Butshilo Nleya, is a contemporary play where African and European theatre collide spectacularly. Our play asks questions about spirituality, ancestry and identity.
Writing Words as Bullets
Words as Bullets arose from a study of the life and writings of Dambudzo Charles Marechera. The writer asked the question, how is the legacy of the artist preserved and celebrated? More broadly, how will cultural performance traditions be remembered and celebrated? Will they be remembered at all? This project is part of Butshilo Nleya's larger interest in preserving, performing and promoting Southern African theatre on stages elsewhere.
"Certain thinkers have a profound effect on your own self-introspection and understanding. So you read and re-read their work in search of a something that can disqualify their view of the world as fiction. Through this you learn that the truth is all we have to give to the audiences. Words as Bullets is a fictional, poetic and theatrical response to Dambudzo Marachera's unique view of the world and legacy." Butshilo Nleya, Writer