QUACK!
Devised by the cast under the direction of Rob Murray, QUACK! is FTH:K's acclaimed Afro-Gothic thriller, which was nominated for a Handspring Award in the category of Best Theatre Visual Production. The production features masks by 2010 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for theatre, Janni Younge, who was also nominated for a Fleur du Cap award for her masks. Sound design is by 2008 ABSA L'atelier winner James Webb and Brydon Bolton, set design and props by Jesse Kramer, and costume design by Leila Anderson.

A man lies dying in hospital, lost in fever and beset with visions. In his delirium, he escapes into a parallel universe, refashioning himself as a powerful healer. Part quack doctor, part motivational speaker, part politician, and part alchemist, he travels the land aided by his long-suffering assistant, and the mysterious presence of a number of acolytes. With them, he harvests the hopes and dreams of his expectant audiences. But in an environment of secrets and false prophets, influence is bound to go astray and how long can people be deceived and strung along before they turn against the liar?

• "It really is poetry in motion." Artslink
• "....mind-blowing adventure..... first-rate entertainment that is spectacular.......... theatre that is on the edge........ compulsory viewing for anyone who needs to colour in their imagination." The Writing Studio
• ".dark and primordial...thrilling theatre" Cue 2010
• "..fresh, exciting theatre.." Cue
• "..Visually compelling." Artsblog

WOMB TIDE
Written by Lara Foot, and developed in collaboration with Leila Henriques, Brian Webber and Joss Levine, Womb Tide was first performed to great acclaim in 1995. At its heart, Womb Tide is an unconventional love story. Told through the memory of a child, Womb Tide is at once deeply moving, funny, dark, heartbreaking, and ultimately redemptive. Set in the mid to late twentieth century South Africa, it follows an eccentric and somewhat dysfunctional family through a story of love, loss and hope, and paints an impressionistic portrait of the complexities of family life.

More than just simply a remounting, Womb Tide is a complete overhaul of the original story, given FTH:K's approach to creating fresh, startling, visually accessible work. This is given emphasis, by the mentoring of director Rob Murray by theatre maestro Lara Foot. Featuring a stellar crew of collaborators, Womb Tide is a paean to love and perseverance and a tour de force of visual and physical storytelling.

Womb Tide is directed by FTH:K Artistic Director, Rob Murray, who recently won a Fleur du Cap award for Best Lighting Design for the production Pictures of You; design is by Craig Leo, Leila Anderson and Emilie Starke, and sound design is by James Webb and Brydon Bolton.

• "Visual tour de force among Fest best..pure magic.." The Herald
• "..extraordinary...There is a sense we might just be witnessing the advent of something new and special in South African theatre." Cue
• ".. another beautifully-crafted work by the FTH:K company." www.artsmart.co.za
• "Die hoogtepunt van wat ek sover gesien het." Die Burger

Picture taken by: Nocholas Stroucken

Award-winning theatre director Sylvaine Strike returns to the stage after a two-year break. Known for her sell out successes Baobabs Don't Grow Here, Black and Blue, The Travellers and Coupé, she now directs The Butcher Brothers, a simple heart-felt story that tells, with stunning clarity, how a seemingly small event can turn peoples' lives upside down.

Strike's 15-year career has involved theatre, television and film. She was one of only 25 nominees worldwide for the Rolex Mentor Protégé Arts Initiative this year, and is the recipient of the Standard Bank Young Artist's Award for Drama 2006. In 2005 she was awarded the Fleur du Cap Best New Director Award. Her riveting and innovative plays have captivated audiences nationally and internationally.

The mask-work for two actors was first conceived and brought to the stage by talented actor Daniel Buckland (The Travellers, Dr. Collinger's Funeral Service), and Strike.

The Butcher Brothers features Mongi Mthombeni, a founding member of the Eastern Cape drama company Ubom, and Jaques de Silva, also a protégé of Ubom. Both actors are highly skilled physical performers whose detailed and emotive mask work will both enchant and move audiences as they reflect an unforgettable relationship that is imbued with poignancy, playfulness and pathos.

Set in 1950 South Africa, a tiny family butchery is run by a prematurely retired ballroom dancer and his ever loyal servant, Boy. The ridged routine of their lives is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a slumberous parcel. Sylvaine Strike directs a deliciously macabre and bloody tale in collaboration with Dark Laugh Theatre Company. Exquisitely performed in mask by Mongi Mthombeni and Jaques de Silva, this one hour epic will delight and intrigue even the most die-hard vegetarian.

To honour this play's success as part of the Market Theatre's educational initiatives, and simply because of popular demand, we are delighted to welcome this ground-breaking production back to the Market Theatre. Since its world premiere in 2002, John Kani's first play as a sole author has been hailed as a contemporary South African classic. It has been published by Wits University Press, made into an English Additional Language set-work and has toured extensively, both locally and abroad - including the Lincoln Center in New York and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. When it opened, the play won five Naledi Awards and three Fleur du Cap Awards in South Africa. In 2007, the play was made into a major feature film, premiering at the Milan Film Festival. The film recently won the Silver Stallion Award at the Pan African Film and Television Festival.

Nothing but the Truth explores the relationship between those who remained in South Africa to lead the struggle against apartheid and those who returned victoriously after living in exile, the destruction of a man's aspirations at the very moment when democracy promises their realisation; examining family secrets, sibling rivalry, exile, memory and reconciliation.