THEATRE: Ameera Patel's writing and acting skills shine in Jungfrau
Mary Watson’s Caine Prize-winning short story, Jungfrau, has been adapted for stage by playwright and performer Ameera Patel, with Jade Bowers as director. The play, commissioned by Germany’s Festival Theaterformen, debuted at its contemporary theatre showcase in June before opening at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. Included in Watson’s short story collection called Moss, Jungfrau is a skilfully written poetic piece of literature that uses graceful imagery through a child’s imagination to reveal disturbing family secrets.
Set in Redhill, Cape Town, before the forced removals, the text is cleverly suggestive. It weaves subtleties and leaves spaces in between for the reader to go back to, while giving insights into the familial and social relationships shaped by the politics of the time. The word "jungfrau" is German for a young woman or virgin, and the title is based on one of the main characters, Virgin Jessica, who captures the adoration of the child from which th...
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