Local poet and author Tessa “The Prophetess” Muller’s new poignant play For Coloured Girls will give audiences newfound insight into taboo themes in society such as rape, abortion and abuse that are rarely ever heard from the female perspective.
“I know that based on the title, people often think the word ‘coloureds’ refers to a specific group of people but that’s not the case – it actually speaks to all races, except for whites, who I believe have different challenges they don’t experience on the same scale,” Muller said as she explained the title.
In the production, Muller delves into the lives of six women whose different stories are similar when it comes to the struggles and challenges women are facing today. “The play has six actresses who all give account of their lives and the experiences they went through – these range from rape, abortion, lesbianism in black cultures, the career-focused woman who feels she does not need a man, the woman who is silent as she deals with abuse, the one with a thousand insecurities and the role media plays with regard to these. I am sure many women will identify with this,” Muller said, explaining the play.
While she added that it is a heavy and thought-provoking play with a twist to each act, there is also light humor to keep audiences entertained. This is the first play that she wrote candidly and without reservations.
“I was not just putting pen to paper as an artist but as a woman and as a mother. I wanted it to be as authentic as possible,” Muller said. She researched on the play and its subject matter for two years by speaking to people who had real-life experience of these elements in the play and through reading books and articles on the subjects she addressed in the drama.
Although she wrote and directed the play, the stories told in the play, through the skilled acting of her cast, become the voice of everyone she had interviewed
Catch the play during the Free State Arts Festival in Bloemfontein on 11, 13 and 14 July 2018. For more information and updates, follow the ‘For Coloured Girls’ Facebook page or contact Muller at 083-672-4893.
Tickets are also available at R80 from all Computicket outlets, including Shoprite and Checkers stores.
Pulane Choane
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