Benchmarks
In the Mother City, three desperate and lonely individuals get drawn into an unlikely relationship that will lead them on a journey of discovery, companionship, tragedy, and ultimately transform their lives forever. This is a small story of hope and rebirth set against a bigger backdrop of the frailties and complications of human relationships, dreams, the violence and hardships of life in this country today, and the desire for a better life.
Told by three performers using beautifully realised full masks, Benchmarks is a poetic celebration of the human spirit.
Devised and directed by Rob Murray, and a stellar team of collaborators, for the 2011 National Arts Festival Main Programme. Benchmarks was nominated for three awards: Best Visual Theatre Production, Best Puppet Design and lastly, Best Puppet Manipulation, which it won.
“A tender piece of image theatre�
“…a simple, beautifully human story about relationships ….�
"...rich, meaningful, and innovative...Rob Murray's direction is carving marks of extraordinary new kinds..."
"...interesting for its innovative approach to issues, its bewitching brew of silence and noise, its portrayal of humanity that shines through the masks and the transformative spectacle of seeing human beings reaching out to their neighbours."
“Go, quite simply, and be moved.�
Carla Lever on spreadingthewings.wordpres​s.com |
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“….superb acting……. .. bizarre, maddening soundscapes conjured by Brydon Bolton and Jacques Toile.�
“Beautiful. Benchmarks comes most highly recommended.�
“The beauty of this play is how the masked characters get under your skin. And in the midst of the story’s turmoil, it hangs on to the hope of the triumph of the human spirit.�
“Another exciting piece of theatre …wonderful�
“….indrukwekkend...Benchma​rks...bring weer eens ’n groot sukses op die planke...Hou hulle dop vir ’n volgende meesterstuk.�
“...deeply moving...I was moved to tears…Benchmarks is a wonderful work and, given the chance, I’d watch it again.�
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