- Marigolds in August
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Marigolds in August Written by Athol Fugard Characters Daan
Melton
PaulusDate premiered 1980 Marigolds in August is a play by South Africa's Athol Fugard.
Contents
Plot
The play portrays the tension between three people (two black - one white) trying to eke out a living.
The play takes place near Port Elizabeth. Daan (a resident in a nearby township where malnutrition and unemployment are rife) is walking to work at an apartheid whites-only resort where he works as a gardener. He encounters another unemployed black man - Melton - who is desperately looking for work. Daan is worried that Melton's presence will draw attention to him which is a problem as his passbook is no longer valid.
The pair struggle and argue and the appearance of a white man - Paulus (a snake catcher) - acts as a catalyst.
Daan realises that the apartheid system is often responsible for black-on-black violence. The only way to fight this is solidarity and compassion towards each other.
Film
Main article: Marigolds in August (film)In 1980, the play was adapted into a film directed by Ross Devenish, with Melton played by John Kani, Athol Fugard as Paulus, and Winston Ntshona as Daan.
Books
- Marigolds in August and The Guest: Two Screenplays, Athol Fugard, Theatre Communications Group Inc., 1992, ISBN 1-55-936059-3
Awards
In 1980, it won the Berlin Bear Anniversary Prize at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival.[1][2]
Notes
- ^ "Berlinale 1980: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1980/03_preistr_ger_1980/03_Preistraeger_1980.html. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
- ^ Andie Miller. "From Words into Pictures: In Conversation with Athol Fugard" (in English) (Web). Eclectica (Oct./Nov. 2006). http://www.eclectica.org/v10n4/miller.html. Retrieved 2008-10-02..
External links
Categories:- South African plays
- South African films
- Plays by Athol Fugard
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