Fiela se Kind

God forgives many things, but God never forgives us the wrong we do to a child. The cloloured woman, Fiela Komoetie, raised her white foundling, Benjamin, with love and pride, until the day, nine years later, when the census takers took him away.

'They simply took him...just like that."

On the other side of the mountain, in the forest, lived the woodcutter Elias van Rooyen and his wife Barta that has lost their three-year-old son, Lukas. Could Benjamin and Lukas be the same child? Years later, Benjamin and Lukas struggle with the question:

"Who am I?"

He had to find out, otherwise, the woman he loved could never be his. He knew there was an answer - somewhere with himself, hidden deep within the past, but it evaded him.

Suzanne van Wijk adapted Fiela se Kind for the stage and Frans Swart directed the play.  Swart produced the play in 1997 and 2007, and he and Dalene Matthee became great friends before she died. When asked about the new production, Swart said: "It is once again time for us to experience the wonderful story of Fiela se Kind on stage. From the outset, my team and I said that we did not want to copy any of the former Fielas and therefore, this production will be fresh and new.  I am very excited about what happened during the creative processes. Theatregoers will definitely experience a wonderful new production and, after 30 years, there is of course a whole new generation that has never seen Fiela se Kind on stage."

Swart further explained that they did a nationwide search, especially for a young Benjamin and Nina.  After auditioning more than many children across the country, Benjamin and Nina will be played by Eloff Snyman van Kaapstad and Jaime du Toit from Vereeniging. "These two are extremely talented and will definitely do justice to the very important roles of the young Nina and Benjamin.  I am just as excited about Zenobia Klopper, who will play the role of Fiela.  Then we have the two wonderful young actors, Marissa Claasen and Phillru van Achterbergh, as the older Nina and Lukas, respectively."

Fiela se Kind will be live at the Mardi Gras Theatre at Carnival City from 7 to18 February 2018.

Bookings can be made at Computicket.