Publisher's Synopsis
The Junction Avenue is one of South Africa's best-known Workshop Theatre Groups. Its plays aim to take a fresh look at the country's history in ways which are both interesting and innovative. This book features scripts from four of the Junction Avenue Theatre Company's most successful plays, each created in a workshop: ""The Fantastical History of a Useless Man"" (1976); ""Randlords and Rotgut"" (1978) - winner of the 1984 Olive Schreiner Prize; ""Sophiatown"" (1986); and ""Tooth and Nail"" (1989). In his introduction, Professor Martin Orkin provides brief accounts of the work of the Junction Avenue Theatre Company, the nature of workshop theatre in the context of traditions of naturalism and realism in establishment South African theatre, and critical accounts of each of the four texts. The volume also contains photographs and additional material which should help to contextualize the plays and indicate the nature of their reception.
