A 'gifted' playwright in every sense

Playwright and arts activist Mike van Graan might have accidentally happened upon a novel new funding paradigm for the arts: the play as birthday gift.

His new comedy, It's Because I'm Jack, was commissioned by businessman Laurie Dippenaar as a 60th birthday present for his wife, Estelle.

"It is such a wonderful way for a patron of the arts to go about supporting work. Because of it I can get on with writing and four actors will have at least 12 weeks' worth of work," said Van Graan.

Estelle Dippenaar, her family, and circle of friends will, of course, be the first to see the play about four friends who have to deal with their mortality.

"There will be a special performance today before we open at the festival," said Van Graan.

The germ of this play was planted several years ago on a train ride between Amsterdam and The Hague, he said.

Earlier, after another of his plays, Two to Tango, he had become embroiled in a discussion with four leading South African actresses.

He promised them he would write something that would accommodate their talents.

"I was sitting in the train trying to plot my way around these sketches for four women when these four guys popped into my head. And I just couldn't stop thinking about it," said Van Graan.

The play was initially titled Martin's Dream and it was about a character who has a dream that he has a terminal illness.

Van Graan said he tinkered with the text every now and again and then put it away.

When the possibility of writing something for Dippenaar and Aardklop came along, Mike presented the plot as an option and that is how It's Because I'm Jack popped out of the original idea.

This time it is a Zimbabwean refugee and part-time comedian, Farai (played by Anele Matoti), who has the dream. The other characters are old school friends, Jack (Clyde Berning), Martin (Morne Visser) and Tim (Andrew Laubscher).

If you know Van Graan's work then you will understand the notion that character is not formed outside of context.

And so, while politics and social issues do inevitably feature, their role is a secondary one, unlike his earlier plays such as Green Man Flashing, which dealt with the abuse of political power; Die Generaal, which explored crime and violence; and Iago's Last Dance, which looked at how HIV/Aids has altered personal relationships.

"It's a play, a dark comedy about friendship, morality and ethics. It's my first character-driven piece," said Van Graan.

And why no women?

"Well, they feature in their absence," he said with a smile adding that it is Tim's sister all the men desire.

When he's not writing, Van Graan is the executive director of the African Arts Institute, launched in Cape Town in February 2009 with a two-year grant from Spier to network the creative sector on the continent.

He also serves as the secretary-general of the Arterial Network, a pan-African network that links artists on the continent.

In spite of travelling almost as widely as an African head of state - he spends about as much time out of South Africa as he does in it - Van Graan still manages to be one of South Africa's most prolific and incisive playwrights.