Carlo Daniëls in ‘Jessie, the man and the moon’. (Photo: Provided)
Jessie, the man and the moona theater production that is being staged this week at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) in Oudtshoorn, tells the story of a young man, AB, who loses his wife, Jane, and their son, Jessie, to the “moon”.
Jessie, the man and the moon is about AB and Jane’s love for each other which over the years has become a marriage of pain and abuse. Especially when Jane develops pelvic girdle syndrome during her pregnancy, a condition that can lead to paralysis in extreme circumstances. The couple’s son, Jessie, is born during a full moon, apparently an event that AB’s father warned him about.
Jane’s frustration with her paralyzed body and the conflict in their marriage reaches a breaking point when the couple gets involved in a struggle one night and it leads to Jane’s death. This is the beginning of Jessie’s proverbial unraveling and for years afterwards a battle rages between a man, his son and the moon. A battle that AB ends up losing.
In this production, the award-winning actor Carlo Daniels can be seen on stage together with Kanya Viljoen, also the writer and director of the play.
Earlier this year, Daniels walked away with the kykNET Fiesta statuette for best play in a supporting role I, Anna van Wyk. He can currently be seen on the box as Ruben in the kykNET drama-comedy series Nice weather and warm.
Kanya (Photo: Provided)
Numerous prizes and scholarships have been awarded to Viljoen for her theater and film work and she has also received a number of nominations. These include a Fiesta Award for Best Emerging Artist, SA Theater Magazine’s Award for Best Emerging Director and the Silver Screen Award at the Cannes Young Director’s Awards.
Viljoen says the story is an exploration of fringe figures in society. “It’s about men and women who never get the privilege of working through their trauma, while trying to survive and cope. Men and women who pass trauma from one generation to the next.”
She adds that the moon has several symbolic meanings. “It becomes a symbol of prayers and answers, of lost people who continue to stay with us, and of greater rhythms and destinies that we can only understand in retrospect.”
Jessie, the man and the moon currently visiting the KKNK in Oudtshoorn and can be seen on these days and times:
- April 5 at 09:30
- April 6 at 19:00
- April 7 at 18:00
- April 8 at about 2:00 p.m
Tickets are up Webtickets available.
