In this Book
- Tin Bucket Drum: A play
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: Wits University Press
summary
On a ‘cold and starless night’ a young pregnant widow, Nandi, arrives in Tin Town, a bleak, drought-stricken place ruled by silence and fear. Little do the inhabitants know that Nandi is carrying the baby who will, in time, change that. Taken in by Mkhulu (grandfather), whose father established the tin bucket factory that gave the town its name, Nandi gives birth to Nomvula, the Little Drummer Girl. Mkhulu remembers a past when ‘people were free to sing and dance’, when the rain came and the townsfolk held up their tin buckets to catch the precious, life-giving drops. And then came the Silent Sir and his spokesman, the Censor, and the town went silent. As the singing and dancing and drumming dried up, so did the rain. The tin bucket factory closed, taking with it the life and purpose of Tin Town’s inhabitants. Only the Little Drummer Girl can bring back that life, but at enormous personal cost. In Tin Bucket Drum, Neil Coppen achieves a small miracle. Through his lyrical script and the creative use of lighting and sound, one woman, the Narrator, succeeds in evoking a host of characters as this allegorical tale of oppression and liberation plays itself out. It is a story that offers a host of lessons for many places and many times.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgements
- p. vi
- Selection of images from various performances
- pp. xvii-xxii
- Tin Bucket Drum: the play script
- Note on staging
- pp. 3-4
- Scene 1 - A celebration
- pp. 5-6
- Scene 2 - The journey
- pp. 7-9
- Scene 4 - A child is born
- pp. 11-12
- Scene 5 - Awakening
- pp. 13-14
- Scene 6 - Sermon
- pp. 15-17
- Scene 7 - Silent confinement
- pp. 18-20
- Scene 8 - Mkhulu’s story
- pp. 21-24
- Scene 9 - Integration
- pp. 25-26
- Scene 10 - Problem child
- pp. 27-30
- Scene 11 - Legacy
- pp. 31-32
- Scene 12 - Rehabilitation
- pp. 33-35
- Scene 13 - Community service
- pp. 36-38
- Scene 14 - Revolution
- pp. 39-44
- Scene 15 - Lullaby
- p. 45
- Scene 16 - Rebirth
- pp. 46-48
Additional Information
ISBN
9781868149735
Related ISBN(s)
9781868149728
MARC Record
OCLC
1080548996
Pages
70
Launched on MUSE
2019-01-02
Language
English
Open Access
No