William Kentridge & The Handspring Puppet Company:

“I first came across the play Woyzeck in Barney Simon's remarkable production in the old Arena Theatre in Doornfontein in the 1970s. Characters and images from the play have floated on the edges of my consciousness since then. For many years I have wanted to do some form of production of the work as it seemed to me that the anguish and desperation of Buchner's text does not need to be locked into the context of 19th century Germany, and that the similar circumstances that exist in South Africa today make this play completely eloquent in a local setting.

This is my first experience of working with puppets and the discoveries have been enormous. Each day of rehearsal has brought revelations of the things that puppets can do better than their living counterparts (try training a rhinoceros to write or an infant to fly on cue). Also worth watching out for is the strange condition where the manipulation of the puppets is completely transparent, where, in spite of seeing the palpable artificiality of the movement of the puppet, one cannot stop believing in the puppet's own volition and autonomy.” William Kentridge



Director: William KENTRIDGE
Director of the revival: Luc DE WIT
Designers: Adrian KOHLER, William KENTRIDGE
Animation: William KENTRIDGE
Light: Wesley FRANCE
Assistant animator: Erica ELK
Video editor: Thabo NEL
Actor: Mncedisi SHABANGU
Puppeteers: Nkosinathi GAAR, Jason POTGIETER, Hamilton DhlAmini, Busi ZOKUFA
Technical and production manager: Wesley FRANCE
Stage manager: Bruce KOCH
Sound: Simon MAHONEY, Wilbert SCHOUBEL
Music: Steve COOKS, Edward JORDAN
Musicians: Clara Hooyberg (cello), Alfred Makgalemele, Isaac van Graan (piano accordions)
Puppet maker: Adrian KOHLER
Assistant puppet makers: Francois VILJOEN, Erica ELK
Original light concept: Mannie MANIM
Set Builder: Francois VILJOEN
Costumes: Hazel MAREE
Project coordinator: Basil JONES

Co-production partners: The Standard Bank National Arts Festival, the Johannesburg City Council, the Foundation for the Creative Arts, the German Embassy in South Africa, the Department of National Education and Art Bureau (Munich).

Associate Production: Sarah Ford / Quaternaire

www.handspringpuppet.co.za
www.williamkentridge.net

Photo: Barney Simon