Maladamatjuate and the theatre of difference : staging the female body in South Africa

Abstract

In this paper, I investigate contemporary alternative staging strategies that critically and creatively explore representations of women in South African theatre. I interrogate representations of the female body of' difference' and the theatrical interpretation of complex identity in South Africa. Imperative questions are raised around the renegotiation of perceptions of division and stereotype (especially regarding women) in performance in South Africa. I raise crucial questions regarding the empowerment of representations of difference on the stage. Theatre of Difference requires representations that are as critically interrogatory of the socio-political circumstances of female identity as they are intimately concerned with the personal processes of the psyches of individual women.