GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Community theatre came alive at the Karatara Community Hall on Saturday 14 October as the production of Karatara made its debut in the village it was named after.
The dance-theatre depicts the tragic story of the consuming fire in 2018 that touched the heart of the Karatara community when eight residents of the area died.
The audience was deeply moved as the hall where the production was hosted was the same one that several of the victims were buried from.
The production was written by Shaun Oelf and Wilken Calitz, directed by Gideon Lombard, and produced by Marie Vogts. It featured Dean John Smith, Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf and production design is by Gideon Lombard, with stage management and assistant lighting design by Andi Colombo.
To reintroduce theatre to Karatara and allow residents to centre their own story, the 50-minute production was free for the whole community to attend.
"Being able to bring the production to the community and hopefully make everyone realise the importance of this specific community was a highlight of the performance," said producer Marie Vogt. "We were able to meet some individuals and get to know some people in the audience who experienced this tragedy first-hand. Some of the script made use of quotes from the community in news bulletins and some individuals were in the audience."
Karatara also showcased in George the day before, Friday 13 October.
The Karatara Community Hall was where the production was staged.
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