A UCT graduate has written and directed a play, Mercy, that is on at the Baxter Theatre.
Zubayr Charles, from Bo-Kaap, says the piece explores dementia, mental health and family disputes. It showed at the Baxter on Monday and will have its final run tomorrow, Friday March 15 at 7pm.
After being sent to an old-age home by her two children, Aunty Kaashiefah Momsen, an elderly woman suffering from dementia, forges a strong bond with her night nurse, Mercy. As the story of this newly formed companionship unfolds, it becomes clear that not everything is as it appears to be with Nurse Mercy.
Mercy features actors Jennifer Morris, Ibtisaam Florence, Vuyokazi Bulu, Jethro Dylan Thomas and Sharfa du Plessis.
“After first being inspired with the idea for Mercy 12 years ago, I’m excited to finally bring this story to life. We hope that our play will create the much-needed awareness and spark important conversations about how we can better support and care for our elders, as well as mental health,” says the former Jakes Gerwel Foundation fellowship writer and theatre maker
Mr Charles says his love for writing started at home as both his parents have a flair for storytelling.
“I was always fascinated by hearing stories of their childhood in Bo-Kaap. As I grew older, I realised that I wanted to create my own stories and explore various mediums of writing.”
Aside from writing, he has been teaching English at high schools for the past seven years. He was part of a Baxter Theatre workshop on musical writing under the mentorship of David Kramer in 2019 and the Jakes Gerwel Foundation and Litnet’s 2020 short-prose writing residency under the mentorship of Rachelle Greeff in 2020. He has also been completing his first novel, which was submitted as his creative thesis at UCT under the supervision of writer and professor Imraan Coovadia in 2021 and 2022.
An excerpt of his second play, Please Don’t Call Me Moffie, was performed at the 2023 Teksmark festival at the Baxter.
For tickets, visit www.theatrearts.co.za or WhatsApp Zubayr Charles at 083 430 4164 for more details.
