Directed by Singh, the new work features acclaimed performers Shona Johnson, Derosha Moodley and Annalisa Gxabu and runs in the Playhouse Loft from Wednesday, 20 to Saturday, 23 August. Performances will be at 19:30 with an additional 15:00 matinee on Saturday, 23 August.

Beyond The Big Bangs is a unique play about three women – one Black African, one Indian and one Coloured, all of whom either live or work in Durban-North. Audiences discover their connections and the challenges of their complex lives through a rare combination of funny and poignant monologues and dialogue.

Sandra is a domestic worker, caught in the middle of an ongoing racial conflict between her employers and their neighbours; Gita has been labelled a “gambling granny” and now seeks to break this stereotype while finding both pleasure in the casino and deeper connections in her neighbourhood; and Lindiwe is preparing for her disciplinary hearing, standing accused of slapping an insulting pupil just months after being stabbed by another pupil at her previous school.

This is the first time in South African theatrical history that three Black women from diverse communities, namely Zulu, Indian and mixed-race, have been featured as the principal characters in a major production.

The three actresses cast in the production have all acquired powerful reputations in theatre having cut their teeth in a wide variety of dramatic and comedy productions. Shona Johnson is a teacher of dramatic arts and has several Durban Theatre Awards nominations, having featured in both adult and children’s theatre productions, including The Wheel, Animal Tails 1 & 2, Reality Bytes and Consenting Silence. She was directed by Singh in PopCom.

Derosha Moodley, who holds a Master’s degree in Drama, has enjoyed success and critical acclaim on stage and screen. She has been inspired to pursue a career on stage by her deep love of Shakespearean plays. Her best known screen performances were in the Broken Promises movie franchise. She was directed by Singh in Marital Blitz and PopCom and performed with him in Culture Clash.

Annalisa Gxabu is one of the most talented young actresses in KwaZulu-Natal. She has studied drama and film in South Africa and the UK. Her best known theatre performances include her role in Edmund Mhlongo’s Sugar Daddies which featured at the Playhouse and enjoyed a successful schools’ tour, and her collaborative effort A-dress Re’dress with Heather Gielink, which was selected for the 2012 Community Arts Mentorship Programme (CAMP) by the Playhouse Company. Gxabu was mentored by Singh at CAMP 2012.

Singh’s works have regularly been selected by the Playhouse Company, mainly for the New Stages Festival, and he is also a script writing and legal mentor for CAMP. Singh says he regards the Playhouse Company as the leading arts institution in South Africa and is delighted and honoured to be part of SAWAF.

Shantal Singh says that Beyond The Big Bangs was the chief mascot of Ashwin’s book Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice because it deals with “the crucial issues of women’s identity and intercultural relations and also showcased his abilities in both comedy and drama”.

The play continues Ashwin Singh’s legacy as an innovative creator of authentic, multi-cultural South African work and features in his 2013 anthology Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice, published by UK publishers, Aurora Metro Books.

Tickets cost R80 per person, with concessions for pensioners, are available through Computicket on 0861 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com. Tickets are also available via the Playhouse Box Office by phoning 031-369 9540 during office hours.