Faustus in Africa! - 2025
Faustus in Africa! is a collaboration between William Kentridge and Handspring Puppet Company and a re-working of their multi-award-winning 1995 production of the same name.
This is an ageless tale. Its themes of compromise are universal. They make urgent sense to each successive generation. The betrayal of one’s better judgment for short term gain tempts us all and is the burning question behind our climate emergency, and the trade-offs and expediency that underly the desperate problems our world is facing.
Faustus in Africa! is a harmonious blend of theatre, and puppetry, with music by Warrick Sony and the late and much revered James Phillips underscoring Kentridge’s glorious animations.
Faustus goes on a safari to enjoy all that Africa has to offer. But it becomes a rampaging journey of greed and passion.
Directed by Kentridge, with design and puppet-mastery by Handspring, this irreverent encounter with the ‘Faustian Pact’ remains a powerful metaphor for our times.
UPCOMING DATES
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2025-02-26 00:00:00 2025-03-22 00:00:00 - The Baxter Theatre, Cape Town - South Africa
PAST DATES
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CREDITS
Creative Team
Director: William Kentridge
Associate Director: Lara Foot
Puppetry Directors: Adrian Kohler & Basil Jones (Handspring Puppet Company)
Associate Puppetry Director: Enrico Dau Yang Wey
Design: Adrian Kohler & William Kentridge
Animation: William Kentridge
Puppet Construction: Adrian Kohler & Tau Qwelane
Puppet Costumes: Hazel Maree, Hiltrud von Seidlitz & Phyllis Midlane
Special Effects: Simon Dunckley
Set Design: Adrian Kohler
Set Construction: Dean Pitman
Set Painting & Dressing: Nadine Minnaar for Scene Visual Productions
Translation: Robert David Macdonald
Additional text: Lesego Rampolokeng
Music: James Phillips & Warrick Sony
Lighting Design & Production Management: Wesley France
Stage Manager & Video Operator: Thunyelwa Rachwene
Sound Engineer: Tebogo Laaka
Video Controller: Kim Gunning
Cast (in alphabetical order)
Eben Genis, Atandwa Kani, Mongi Mthombeni, Wessel Pretorius, Asanda Rilityana, Jennifer Steyn, Buhle Thembisile
Co-Producers
The 2025 version is produced by Quaternaire/Paris and restaged with co-production support of The Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town (Cape Town), Centre d'art Battat (Montreal), Kunstfest (Weimar), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Thalia Theater GmbH (Hamburg), Théâtre de la Ville/Festival d'Automne (Paris). LIST STILL IN FORMATION
The 1995 version was produced by Handspring Puppet Company in association with The Market Theatre, Art Bureau (Munich), Kunstfest (Weimar), Standard Bank National Arts Festival, The Foundation for the Creative Arts, Sharp Electronics and Mannie Manim Productions.
Quaternaire Producers
Sarah Ford, Roxani Kamperou, Emmanuelle Taccard
Representation
FAUST I and II © The Estate of Robert David Macdonald
Copyright agent: Alan Brodie Representation Ltd
Handspring Puppet Company is represented worldwide by Quaternaire / Sarah Ford.
www.quaternaire.org
In memory of James Phillips (1959-1995)
James Phillips was a composer, musician and the voice and conscience of a generation. He passed from injuries sustained in a car accident. The Shifty Records Artists Fund was set up to help artists in crisis, please contact lloyd@shifty.co.za for more information and donations.
Special thanks to The team at The Baxter Theatre Centre, William Kentridge Studio, Herman Sorgeloos, Joël Gunzburger, Konstantinos Liopyris, Stefanie Carp, Susan Ford, Paul Golub, Joël Gunzburger, Konstantinos Liopyris, Michael Morris, Herman Sorgeloos