Painting A Wall
by David Lan
by David Lan
Painting a Wall portrays the struggles and camaraderie of four Cape Coloured painters under apartheid as they face the challenges of their task while dealing with the repercussions of using the wrong color paint.
About The Play
About The Play
Cape Town 1970. Painting a Wall follows the day in the life of four Cape Coloured South African painters, living under apartheid. We follow them in their task of painting public walls government-regulation white. They’ve got one hour to do it and they’ve got to hurry up about it, or risk no pay and harsh punishment. The only thing is…they’ve been given the wrong colour paint…
Stephen Daldry called Painting a Wall a “hugely effective, deeply emotional attack on a political system”, but avoiding political debate, it focuses simply on the painters – Henry, Peter, Willy and Samson – and their jokes, dreams and vivid storytelling as they work together to triumph over the struggles and frustrations of their lives. This production coincides with South Africa’s national elections.
NB This production replaces the previously announced production of Dream of the Dog by Craig Higginson which has been cancelled.