Phillippa Yaa de Villiers

It has been said that the opening night of a play is equal in stress to a multi-vehicle car accident, with injuries.

Original Skin opens at the Festival of Fame at the National Arts School (formerly Johannesburg Arts School) tomorrow at 6pm.

Ambulances have been notified and CPR-empowered Vanessa Cooke is ready, she’s been holding my hand for the past two weeks.

Of course this isn’t our first opening night, so the wounds are superficial, flesh wounds. But hey! the show has sharpened after seven months incubation, and we have made some changes. It has been directed with the intention of performing in schools, so it’s super portable and makes use of simple props to create the scene. If you are in Johannesburg, please come
Wednesday 13 May 6pm
Thursday 14 May 7pm
Friday 15 May 7pm
(take the Melle Street entrance, coming up from Empire, and enter the field)

This is a coming of age story that pulls no punches. Adopted children, teenagers, people of all types and inclinations will hopefully relate to Alexandra as she finds a place for that mixed blessing, that massive yet only skin deep gift, that can of worms called RACIAL IDENTITY