In October, UJ Arts & Culture unveils 1001 Nights, a captivating reinterpretation of timeless tales by playwright Ismail Mohamed. Under the adept direction of Resident Director Jade Bowers, this enchanting production promises to transport you into a world where magic and storytelling intertwine.
To do justice to this timeless work, Jade Bowers, has convened a cast of some of the best storytellers in the industry such as Dolly Louw, Musanete Sakupwanya, Ilse Klink, Sivuyise Kibido, Marcus Mabusela, and Katlego Nche. Matthew MacFarlane’s evocative compositions and Daniel Buckland’s artful choreography enrich the experience, with students from UJ Arts Academy adding their talents to the ensemble. UJ FADA Industrial Design students craft the stage, while UJ FADA Fashion Design students bring the costumes to life.
1001 Nights promises to transport you into a realm of theatrical play and enchanting storytelling. Set against the backdrop of Shahrayar’s palace, where the King has vowed to behead his brides, it follows Queen Scheherazade’s ingenious plan to captivate him with tales, facing death each dawn. Queen Scheherazade weaves her tales to captivate the heart of her king, highlighting the enduring magic of narrative and its ability to transport us to distant lands and cultures. Through these stories, we explore themes of love, adventure, and the resilience of the human spirit, reminding us of the universal nature of human experience. Resonating with a South African tradition, the work is a celebration of the power of storytelling.
1001 Nights goes beyond its captivating narratives to explore deeper themes of diversity, transformation, and cultural tolerance. Rooted in the rich history of the Middle East, the 1001 Nights tales reflect a tapestry of influences from Arabic, Egyptian, Sanskrit, Persian, and Mesopotamian literature. The production aims to spark conversations about history, religion, and the shared human experience, ultimately promoting understanding and unity among communities.
“The chance to experiment with our African tradition – storytelling – to contribute to societal transformation and impact withing the context of these rich narratives really excited me,” says Resident Director of UJ Arts & Culture, Jade Bowers.
“Representation matters, this production is an exploration of our histories and cultures through storytelling. Storytelling has run through our veins for centuries- and our blood flows from the East, from the North and from the West. This production is, hopefully, one small insight into the stories of our ancestors,” she emphasises.
A 1001 Nights follows the success of previous productions that have been produced alongside the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture’s Interdisciplinary Theatre Programme, which challenges second-year students across the faculty to collaborate in designing sets, costumes, and marketing collateral. Launched by the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Prof Federico Freschi in 2017, this award-winning programme facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and learning and has since inception benefitted more than 1300 students who have participated in the programme.
Reza de Wet’s African Gothic was produced for the pilot of the programme followed by Franz Kafka’s iconic Metamorphosis that won the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Set Design in 2019. Let the right one in adapted from best-selling Swedish novel and award-winning film by John Ajvide Lindqvist and adapted for stage by Jack Thorne, was produced the following year before the pandemic resulted in a two-year hiatus of the programme and we are thrilled to have been able to resuscitate it with the presentation of Hlakanyana in 2022 that went on to win eight Naledi Theatre Awards.
Experience the captivating magic of 1001 Nights at the UJ Arts Centre from 23-28 October.
Tickets are now available on Plankton. Tickets for registered students are R80 and R100 for general admission.
For media inquiries, interviews, and additional information, please contact: Frank Modise via email acmarketing@uj.ac.za
About UJ Arts & Culture
UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.
In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The Faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.