Brisbane Festival 2009 presents BF09 Under the Radar, In the Arms of a Lion, a White Swan Production. The play has been written by Peter Van Der Merwe (in collaboration with Director/Designer, Penelope Chater). Van Der Merwe is also the sole performer in this one man show.
In the Arms of a Lion is an intimate story of Stephen who comes to terms with his sexuality as a boy during the final years of Apartheid and as a young man in the new democratic South Africa. Van de Merwe grew up in South Africa and has personal experience of this turbulent period in the nation's history. Van Der Merwe says of Apartheid "If you were white, you got the lion's share. You were told that the arrangement was instituted and approved by God". The political and personal stories of the play unfold in what Van Der Merwe describes as “the poison in the souls of white South Africans.”
Van Der Merwe embodies a number of characters - both men and women. Each of these characters are in a situation which is pivotal in their lives. These characters speak to imaginary persons without the audience feeling their absence. Van der Merwe transforms from one character to the next seamlessly without leaving the performance space. He makes costume changes on stage in a way which invites the audience to step into the world of his next character.
Van Der Merwe first appears as Stephen’s mother. She is shocked and hurt when confonted with Stephen's coming out. She implores him not to "act camp in front of his father" or to "join the gay community". Van Der Merwe then appears as Stephen's uncle, preaching to a fundamentalist, white supremacist church, he uses the "curse of Ham" to justify the subjugation of the blacks. He assures Stephen that he will not be cursed as he would never do anything which is "unnatural" or "ungodly". Van Der Merwe also appears as a South African Defense Force officer demonstrating to a class of school students the types of bombs used by terrorists. He represents Stephen at various ages, firstly, at 10 years, gleefully telling his mother about a terrorist drill at school, then at 14 years, expressing his desires for other boys in his class and finally at 18 years, being beaten by a gang of whites for betraying his supremacist roots with his homosexuality. Van Der Merwe steps out of character from time to time to express his feelings about his own sexuality. It is clear that Stephen grows up realising that he “could be killed by the blacks for being white or killed by my own family for being gay.”
Chater's minimal set is complimented by subtle and effective use of sound by Xana Chambers and lighting by Katie Sfetkidis. The result is an innovative, provocative and touching piece of theatre.
This play runs for 55 minutes is showing at Studio, Metro Arts until 25 September 2009.
Image Provided Courtesy of Brisbane Festival 2009
Image Provided Courtesy of Brisbane Festival 2009
Image Credit: Marcus Costello
