The National Theatre’s ‘Les Blancs.’ (Photo: Johan Persson)
The National Theatre continues its free streaming of groundbreaking theatrical works with Les Blancs (available through July 9).
The National Theatre’s ‘Les Blancs.’ (Photo: Johan Persson)
An African country teeters on the edge of civil war. A society prepares to drive out its colonial present and claim an independent future. Tshembe, returned home from England for his father’s funeral, finds himself in the eye of the storm. Les Blancs is a brave, illuminating and powerful work that confronts the hope and tragedy of revolution. The production was filmed for the National Theatre Archive in 2016.
Les Blancs marked the National Theatre debut of the multi-award-winning director Yaël Farber, whose productions include The Crucible (Old Vic) and the internationally acclaimed Mies Julie and Nirbhaya. This production is adapted by Robert Nemiroff and the restored text directed by Joi Gresham. It is presented in memory of Nofenishala Mvotyo, who played friction drum (masengwana) in Les Blancs and was a preserver of the Xhosa culture, as well as an ambassador of the split-toned, throat deep sounds that typically echo in the mountains of Ngqoko.
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