The Sunday News
Shelton Masina, Sunday Life Reporter
THERE was food for thought and entertainment in equal measure on Thursday night when the Lady Tshawe-written and directed play, 6.55, made its debuted at the Bulawayo, with the production becoming theatre lovers’ instant darling because of its skillful interrogation and demystification of stereotypes that plague mentally ill patients.
From the time the play started around 6.00pm, it was a thrill a minute rollercoaster for the audience. Indeed the audiences should have known what it was in for when they were welcomed by abnormal smiles and laughter as they entered the theatre’s doors.
The play chronicled the lives of hospitalised mentally ill patients.
Four female characters took centre stage at the start of the play, as their physically intense routine vividly showed the struggles of mental patients. .
Perhaps reflecting the poetic mind of the play’s writer, Lady Tshawe, two characters in the play recited poems during the play and they did so in various languages.
The play showed the strain that mental illness has on both patients and caregivers. For example, one of the play’s protagonists, Mellissa, refused to eat or take orders from the nurse, thereby putting her health further at risk.
During the play, the nurse also highlighted the difficulties of life of working in a psychiatric institution. Despite the challenges she faced, the nurse reasoned with the mentally ill patients and regarded them as equal human beings, something that does not always happen in the wider world.
Despite the serious topics tackled during the play, the capacity audience was sometimes drawn to laughter by the sometimes humorous production.
The play also highlighted problems faced by mentally ill patients such as sexual abuse and nightmares.
The production also interrogated the way African culture perceives mental illness, with people afflicted by the ailment seen as cursed or demonic by their own kin and kith.
The play ended on sad note as Nothando Ngwenya (a mentally ill patient) finally passed away at 6.55pm.
At exactly 6.55pm coincidentally the stage became dark and this proved to be a masterstroke from the play’s producers, with the audience spontaneously standing up to salute Lady Tshawe for her stellar work.
The writer and director of the play Lady Tshawe said the play had been inspired by her own life.
“The play is a conversation pointed at the direction of a mentally ill patient and it depicts a true story of my grandfather Reverend Elijah Damasane who was mentally ill.”
“I did not get to meet him as his granddaughter. His life, as narrated to me, opened my eyes to mental health and prompted me to seek more understanding of it and its effects” said Tshawe
“6.55 play seeks to bring awareness about mental health and related illnesses in our societies especially in our African and traditional societies,” said Tshawe
One of the audience members Micheal Mhlanga said, “6.55 play demystifies a lot of misconceptions about mental health problems and triggers a lot of conversation about mental health and related illnesses.”
The was written and direted by Lady Tshawe, while the choreography was handled by Gomez SamaDube, Musa Sibanda, Nyarie, Agnes Ncube andSithabileNdubiwa. The cast comprised Musawenkosi Sibanda, Agnes Ncube,NyarieNyika, SithabileNdubiwa and SidumisileMthethwa.
@sheltonmasina
