A drama with action and adventure is set to be performed this week in the Scaena Rehearsal Room on the main campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein.
The story of Boom, the main character in The Last Firefly, begins as he sets out on an epic journey, ultimately discovering his true self.
In this production, playwright Prof. Naomi Iizuka combines Japanese fairy tales and fables with her unique creative flair, to produce a play that feels both timeless and modern.
The young protagonist’s journey shows the power of storytelling in helping man to overcome adversity.
Iizuka is a multi-award-winning Japanese-born American playwright who has written more than 25 plays since the early 1990s. Her multi-cultural upbringing, coupled with her stellar academic background has resulted in a successful career as one of the most commissioned play-wrights in American theatre, culminating in her appointment as the Director of Playwriting at the University of California until 2008.
She has collaborated most notably with Anne Bogart, and her plays have been performed internationally.
In 2011, Iizuka received the Joyce Award for The Last Firefly.
This play highlights Iizuka’s commitment to highlighting themes of domestic violence and gender inequality.
The sexism that plagues our earliest tales is eliminated in Iizuka’s retelling by flipping the traditional fairy tale archetypes.
The play’s relatability stems from Boom being raised by a single mother who uses stories as a form of solace.
This South African production of The Last Firefly embraces Iizuka’s multi-cultural approach to theatre by incorporating elements of African music and storytelling in a tale that does not shy away from controversial themes such as domestic violence and women and child abuse.
As such, this play does carry an age restriction of ten years.
The production, produced through special arrangement with Plays for New Audiences, will run from Thursday (31/08) to 2 September at the Scaena and is directed by DeBeer Cloete and Barend Kriel.
The production features students of the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts.
Tickets for the play can be bought on webtickets.com.
