Don’t miss the highly acclaimed ‘Kamphoer’ on stage this month

This February sees the staging of the popular play Kamphoer – die verhaal van Susan Nell at two of Johannesburg’s major theatres.

Currently on stage at The Market Theatre until 14 February before showing at the Roodepoort theatre from 18 – 28 February, South African theatre legend Sandra Prinsloo performs the challenging and electrifying role of Susan Nell in this highly acclaimed, multi-award winning solo play.
     ‘The iconic Sandra Prinsloo leaves her heart on the stage, her emotive performance cuts across the language barrier and ought to be experienced by all,’ says General Manager of the Roodepoort Theatre, Pritheven Pillay.
     Kamphoer is a popular piece of Afrikaans theatre with a harrowing storyline about the horrors of rape and abuse that is as relevant today as it was in the days of the Anglo-Boer War.

Directed by award-winning Lara Foot, who started her career at the Market Theatre, Kamphoer is based on the best-selling and debut novel of the same title by Francois Smit, and the non-fiction publication The Boer Whore by Nico Moolman, both based on a true story, Susan Nell who was faced with an unspeakable ordeal during the Anglo-Boer War in the Winburg concentration camp. The story has been adapted for the stage by Cecilia du Toit, in collaboration with Prinsloo and Foot. This powerful solo-production tells a story of a family dealt with devastating loss that’s followed by an ordeal that will haunt them forever.
     The play premiered as the flagship production of the 2019 Free State Arts Festival in Bloemfontein where it was awarded Best National Theatre Debut at the festival’s Blinker Awards. Sandra won the national 2020 kykNET Fiësta Theatre Award for Best performance in a Solo Production, while the production also received a nomination nod for Best adaption of an Existing Work. It was further nominated for Best performance in a Solo production at the 2020 Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards and nominated for four awards (Best Actress, Best Director, Best performance in a solo production and Best Overall Production) at the 2019 Aardklop National Arts Festival. It also enjoyed rave reviews at both the Artscape Women’s Festival and the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town. The novel Kamphoer was nominated for the Jan Rabie Rapport Award, an ATKV Award, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Sunday Times Literary Awards.