Tshepang is one of the setworks for post-1994 South African theatre for Grade 12 Drama. This a detailed analysis of the play, including playwright's intentions, quotes, and much more.
Context and Influences
● Based on a true story - baby was raped; Foot heard story in the news; placed in a
society that has not benefited from new sa; plagued by alcoholism and
physical/sexual abuse “commentary on suffering”
● Real-life experience - draws from her own life (Dewaal, father; young paramedic who
helped her domestic worker)
● Influences - oral storytelling; brecht; grotowski; fugard; barney simon
Intentions
● Reflect society on itself - realistic characters; mirrors society at the time; engages the
audience politically and critically; forces the audience to consider the reality of south
africa
● Examine prejudices in society - addresses the societies that are still in poverty after
apartheid, and the assumptions we have about them (lazy, don’t work, abusive etc)
● Protest - break the silence; promote healing and begin the journey to unity; expose
the truth: everyone is a victim and everyone is to blame
Genre and Style
● Postmodern Theatre - deconstructs the truth for audience to interpret subjectively
● Poor Theatre - influenced by Grotowski; stripped to the bareness of theatre - high
actor-audience engagement
● Epic Theatre - audience remains critically engaged throughout; high levels of
physicality; importance of storytelling and breaking the 4th wall
● Protest Theatre - uses theatre to educate people about the harsh reality; call to
action against such issues
Dramatic Action
● Two onstage characters (Ruth and Simon)
● Ruth rubs salt into animal hide, does not speak
● Simon speaks directly to audience telling the story (4th wall break)
● Ends with Ruth’s one word - “Tshepang”
Structure
● Monologue by Simon - idiomatic; multilingual; progressive so as to keep audience
critically and emotionally engaged
● Features anecdotes or flashbacks as Simon reminisces
● Storylike; conversational
Staging
● Stage - any open space is suitable
● Set - symbolic; emphasizes R and S’s separation from society
● Props - highly symbolic
● Costumes - shows that R and S are regular people (in poverty); also universal
(people like them all over SA)
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