It was the time between unemployment and procrastination that led Marlo Minnaar to his latest one-man play, Santa Gamka. The backstory is as fascinating as the play itself.
Minnaar, now 26, found himself a few years ago lying on his bed, unemployed, brainstorming ideas for a play he would like to write. The basis of his search were stories from the Karoo, lesser known stories and stories untold. A quick googling of news stories led Minnaar to the book Santa Gamka, written by Eben Venter. Minnaar tracked down Venter and asked him for permission to adapt his novel into a one-man play.
Minnaar said: “When I read the story, I thought it was written for me. It’s such a unique story. It’s about a young coloured boy who overcame a lot of odds just to survive life. I really wanted to do it and wasn’t sure if it would work.”
Venter researched the book for two years while staying in Prince Albert.
“The book is written so beautifully. He would walk with a small notebook in Prince Albert going into the communities and talking to people and making notes,” Minnaar said.
It took Minnaar almost a year to complete the script. In 2013, he met Neil Rademan, who was excited to hear about the idea and encouraged him co-produce the play at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK). While working on a production with Jaco Bouwer called Balbesit, Minnaar asked him for help in directing. They worked together on refining the script adaptation.
Santa Gamka is performed in Afrikaans and centres on Lucky Marais, a poor young boy born after apartheid who grew up on a farm in the Groot Karoo who is seeking his fortune. He decides to earn a living by becoming a rent boy in the nearby town of Santa Gamka.
Lucky finds himself trapped in a clay oven with only seven minutes on Earth left to tell his stories of his adventures. He spends most of the play telling seven different tales about the clients he encounters, including the mayor of the town.
“From the start I told myself, I’m just doing this for my own sanity and for the love of theatre,” said Minnaar, being aware audiences might feel challenged by the subject matter of the piece.
The play debuted at KKNK and was met with positive reactions, despite having conservative audiences.
Music was created for the production by Namaqualand artist Ulrich “Namasun” Roberts.
“I decided that the production needed the audience to escape to that Karoo sound, the dryness, the drought and the feeling of the heavy sun,” he said.
Minnaar collaborated during rehearsals with Roberts, exploring and recording sounds. Indigenous instruments such as bows, drums, didgeridoos and string instruments were used to create a soundscape which is infused into the play to convey the feeling of the Karoo.
Minnaar was born in Oudtshoorn in the Karoo, so the story resonated with him. He moved to Stellenbosch to study theatre in 2007.
Minnaar describes himself as a “big introvert” but he got into theatre by trying out for a staging for the District Six musical in high school before deciding to study drama.
In 2011, he moved to Cape Town and got involved with various productions including acting for theatre and for television
This is his third one-man production.
One of the biggest challenges for Minnaar was adapting the play from a 300-page book into a 50-page script.
Being in a one-man production comes with its own challenges. “It doesn’t get easier being on stage on your own,” he said, describing an experience in which he injured himself on stage, but also said there was a rush being in the moment like that.
“In terms of getting into the character, I already had a frame of reference of the Karoo. I grew up in those dusty streets, I was in those schools. I felt a connection with the story already in terms of how he grew up and the community he saw and how people live and the difference between the classes.”
At the KKNK Festival, it won Kanna Awards for best debut, best director and best groundbreaking work.
The play is also nominated for KykNET Fiestas awards for best solo performance, best newly created Afrikaans production and best director.
l Santa Gamka opens at the Golden Arrow Studios at the Baxter Theatre and runs from February 4-10. 8:15pm. Tickets are R80-R120. Book through Computicket. Age restriction is 16.
