Handspring Puppet Theatre: Puppetry of Apartheid

Handspring Puppet Company, most recently recognised for their work on Warhorse with the National Theatre, return to Ubu and the Truth Commission, 17 years after it was first performed in Johannesburg’s Market Theatre. Originally part of a trilogy of plays by William Kentridge and Handspring, the play comes to the EIF to mark the 20th anniversary of democracy in South Africa.

“It was the aftermath of the first elections and there seemed to be people with many stories to tell in the emerging new country. Then the Truth Commissions began and we attended several hearings and we felt that this was a pertinent context," explains Janni Younge, associate director of the company.

The Truth and Reconcilliation Commission was seen as being crucial to the full development of democracy in South Africa as it allowed victims of apartheid to discuss their experiences openly and honestly. Ubu and the Truth Commission brings these real, heartbreaking accounts back into the public domain through the mouths of puppets.

"The testimonies are drawn from the real voices of victims and their families," Younge points out. "The choice of the puppet is not so much a person 'acting out' someone else's truth but rather an original form created just to speak that part. So the puppet is a vehicle for carrying those words visually and doesn't bring its own agenda. In this way we feel the audience has greater access to truly hearing the testimony."

Through using a range of media, Handspring try to resurrect the confusion and unrest that was prevalent two decades ago, thus allowing the audience, who may or may not remember these occurrences, a glimpse into that world of human rights abuse, anger and violence. Its warning of ‘graphic images of violence’ proves the depth of its potential impact, incorporating what could be disturbing scenes, used to shock the audience into empathising heavily with the story. However, while the content of the show is brutal in its truth, there will hopefully be strong performances to back this up, avoiding leaving the audience cold to the facts of these historical events.

While apartheid grew out of the aftermath of World War ll, so did the Edinburgh International Festival itself “with the aim of providing ‘a platform for the flowering of the human spirit’ by inviting the world’s best artists and companies to perform, whatever their nationality,” as stated on their colourful website. Conceived in 1947, this initial purpose seems to stand the test of time, with part of the current mission being “to be the most exciting, innovative and accesible festival of the performing arts in the world.”

This is obvious from a single glance at the diverse events calendar in operation this year. Performances range from music events from violinist Nicola Benedetti, and the Czech Philharmonic, to talks with German cabaret star Ute Lemper, and members of the creative team behind Inala as well as explorations of human nature and history with events such as Women and the Killing Fields: Femininity and War, and Killing Civilians.

The EIF is a member of the European Festivals Association and collaborates with other arts and festival organisations to encourage public participation. This has surely helped form links with a wide range of countries and cultures to provide 24 days of international performances with music, while the theme of war runs through the 2014 programme, a tribute to the 100-year commemoration of the First World War.