Theatre played a powerful role in resistance against apartheid in South Africa, serving as a form of protest and education. During apartheid, the South African government enforced severe racial segregation, and all non-white citizens were oppressed. Many playwrights and performers used theater performances to expose the brutal conditions and show defiance. Because the South African government censored much of the resistance, theatre performances would use symbolism and metaphors to address the topics. One example of this was the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, which became a center point for anti-apartheid activism.
Theater in South Africa started growing in the 1950s and 60s with African oral traditions, particularly performers incorporating song and dance with storytelling in their plays. One of the most well-known playwriters at the time, Athol Fugard, wrote many plays that highlighted the unfairness of apartheid. Some of these, like Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island, gained global fame and helped bring awareness to the issues at hand.
South African theater companies continued to produce anti-apartheid works throughout the 70s and 80s, with groups such as the Serpent Players and the Workshop ’71. The performances were placed in areas near the black South Africans, so they could easily watch and be able to relate. Many of the plays also incorporated their audiences to share their personal experiences.
In the late 80s and 90s, theater continued to be a platform for resistance against apartheid. When apartheid finally ended in 1994, South African theatre became a place for healing from the apartheid. Today, South African theater is a mix of apartheid retelling and commercial theater.
Sources:
https://www.southafrica.net/au/en/travel/article/alive-and-thriving-theatre-in-south-africa
https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/archive/theatre-and-apartheid
https://www.klm.com/travel-guide/inspiration/the-anti-apartheid-theatre
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