Dream of the Dog is a richly textured and complex story of South Africa's emerging democracy, and its continued negotiation with its past in order to find a workable identity for its future. Critically acclaimed in South Africa and penned by the literary manager of Johannesburg's Market Theatre, this new play takes an unflinching look at the twin mantras of the post-Mandela age, reconciliation and forgiveness, asking whether black and white can ever live together peacefully.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, shortly after the millennium. Patricia and Richard Wiley, an elderly white couple, are packing up to leave the farm they've sold to developers. Their preparations are interrupted by the arrival of a young man – 'Look Smart' – who used to be one of the black workers on their estate until he disappeared fifteen years ago.
The day before 'Look Smart' left, something terrible happened on the Wileys' farm, but everyone has a different memory of the dreadful event and their own role in it. As the different accounts of their shared past are unravelled, they are all forced to confront their own versions of the truth – with shocking ramifications for their lives today.
Dream of the Dog received its world premiere in South Africa in 2007, playing at the Grahamstown Festival and the Market Theatre, Johannesburg, where it was nominated for four Naledi Awards (South Africa's equivalent of the Olivier Awards) including Best New South African Play.
Time: Mon – Sat at 7.45pm, Sat Mats at 3pm, Thurs 27th May at 3pm
Trafalgar Studios 2, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY
Info: 0844 871 7632
