‘A world elsewhere’: Shakespeare in South Africa

Summary

Between 1945 and 1957 every English-speaking theatrical union in the world agreed to a boycott of the South African stage in response to the outrage of apartheid. This move was officially ratified in 1969 by the United Nations, which requested its member states to suspend 'cultural, educational, sports and other exchanges with the racist regime'. A consequence of this was that many South African actors were forced abroad to find work, though most left willingly to distance themselves from the political situation in their homeland. Two such actors are Janet Suzman and Antony Sher. Suzman left at 22 to attend LAMDA in 1959 and Sher followed a decade later, aged nineteen, to study at The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Both actors came from wealthy, middle-class Jewish backgrounds in Johannesburg (Suzman) and Cape Town (Sher). Both have since become pillars of the British theatrical establishment, assimilated completely in terms of accent, training and their participation in an explicitly English acting tradition. Both chose in early middle age to return to South Africa to stage productions of the only two Shakespearian plays to feature characters of colour (Moors in both cases) in leading roles. Both subsequently wrote at length of their experiences. Suzman talked of directing Othello in several articles, particularly 'South Africa in Othello'. Sher co-wrote Woza Shakespeare! with his partner and director Gregory Doran - an account of producing Titus Andronicus.