Tselane and the Giant to be staged at the Breytenbach Theatre

This is a project of the Department of Drama and Film (Drama), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). As part of this year’s “Take a child to the theatre today” global campaign, the Drama programme and the Breytenbach Theatre will adopt a township school to come and watch the show, free of charge.

The story of Tselane and the Giant is about a little girl who lived with her mother in a village near the forest. Tselane’s mother worked in the fields and would come back home during the day to give Tselane lunch. Although they were happy, they were soon to be confronted with a problem: deep in the dark forest lived an evil giant who liked killing and eating little girls. Tselane and her mother lived in fear and every time the mother left to work in the fields, Tselane would lock herself inside the house. She would only open the door when her mother sang her a song, which was their magic password.

However, it was not long before the evil Giant found out about Tselane and her mother’s magic password, tricked Tselane, and kidnapped her with the help of a clever rabbit.

“I have a great love for this story,” says Galeboe Moabi, its director and a lecturer at the Department. “There is something special about it that makes me want to share it over and over in many different ways. And what better way to do so than on a theatre stage?”

The production is educational, full of audience interaction and suitable for the whole family. It has a double cast of main characters, such as Tselane, Mma Tselane, Uncle Rabbit and his siblings, and the Giant and his family. Each cast brings a unique interpretation of characters and a unique vibe to the show.

From Wednesday, 13 to Friday, 15 March, performances start at 19:00; on Saturday, 16 March there are two shows at 11:00 and 15:00.

Complementary face painting will be done an hour before the following shows: Monday, 18 to Wednesday, 20 March (09:30 and Noon) and Thursday, 21 to Saturday, 23 March (11:00 and 15:00).

Tickets are R40 per person. The duration of the production is 70 minutes and there is no interval.

The Breytenbach Theatre is situated in 137 Gerhard Moerdyk Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria. For more information or bookings, please phone 012 440 4834 or email [email protected].