Damon Galgut’s Booker Prize-winning novel comes to the stage

Rehearsals are in full swing and the countdown is on to the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Damon Galgut’s Booker Prize-winning novel, The Promise.

Club Dezza Productions and The Market Theatre present The Promise — on Stage which will have its world première from September 16 to October 6 at The Star Theatre at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town (formerly The Fugard Theatre).

The production will transfer to The Market Theatre on The John Kani stage from October 18 to November 5. Bookings for both cities are open via Webtickets.

Featuring a star-studded South African cast and creative team, the production is written by Galgut and directed by internationally acclaimed, multiple award-winning director Sylvaine Strike.

“The rehearsal process for bringing this exceptional novel to the stage has been a profound and electrifying journey,” said Strike.

“We are developing the theatre language for the piece, while the costumes and sound design are springing magically to life under the genius of Penny Simpson and Charl-Johan Lingenfelder respectively. It has been a gift to work with Josh Lindberg’s exceptional set from day one, which, without giving too much away, does not have a single flat surface. A true playground for us all creating the landscape of The Promise – on Stage.”

“We have been reflecting on ourselves as South Africans, with the recent events in our country highlighting how disparate our daily experiences are. It serves as a sharp reminder that the themes of The Promise remain absolutely relevant, and how vital it is to have continued conversations around these realities.”

The stellar cast line-up is Rob van Vuuren (Curse of the Starving Class, Endgame) as Anton Swart; Kate Normington (Tali’s Baby Diaries, Storm in a B-Cup) as Rachel Swart; Frank Opperman (Ouboet and Wors, Toutjies en Ferreira) as Manie Swart; Chuma Sopotela (Standard Bank Young Artist, Karoo Moose) as Salome; Cintaine Schutte (Die Seemeeu, Fynskrif, Tien Duisend Ton) as Tannie Marina; Jenny Stead (The Glass Menagerie, Elesin Oba) as Astrid Swart; Albert Pretorius (Die Seemeeu, Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, Tien Duisend Ton) as Dominee Simmers; Sanda Shandu (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Unlikely Secret Agent) as Lukas, and Jane de Wet (Spoorloos, The Watch) as Amor Swart.

The dream creative team is completed with sound design and original music composition by Lingenfelder (King Kong), set and lighting design by Lindberg (Birdy), costume design by Simpson (The Producers) and choreography by Natalie Fisher (Free Flight Dance Company).

Galgut was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize for The Promise in 2021. It is only the third time a South African writer has been given that honour.

The story: On a small farm outside Pretoria, the Swart family — “a typical bunch of white South Africans” — tries to hold itself together through the violent lurches of recent history. They have promised to give a small piece of land with a tiny house on it to Salome, the Sotho woman who has worked for them her whole life. A worthless property, but still, they will not give it up.

Are they cursed or unlucky? One by one, members of the family die while everything around them changes and they try to stay the same. Only two siblings will eventually be left, facing each other over a great divide: Anton, the tormented older brother, and Amor, his strange younger sister.

Don’t miss the chance to experience The Promise — On Stage.