Word: syringa
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
South African writer and actress Pamela Gien's new one-woman play, "The Syringa Tree," is the tragic story of two South African families - one black, one white - and the complex love they share, even as race stands between them. While this isn't unexplored territory, what makes this production a standout is Gien's impressive performance in creating 28 fully realized characters on a sparsely decorated stage. Through her expressive movements and creative vocalizations - most startlingly in rapid-fire exchanges between six-year old Elizabeth and her redoubtable, deep-voiced South African caretaker - Gien single-handedly fills the stage...
...wherever we go. I think that's a powerful idea, one that gives me great hope for the future, for peace and equality in the world. Apartheid had no winners. We all lost. It was a sad and disgraceful time, and I hope the play shows the complexities. "The Syringa Tree" takes a very strong stand against oppression, but not by lecturing or sermonizing. I tried to write what I feel, that, black or white, good and evil live in our hearts, not in the color of our skin...
...TIME.com: What are your thoughts on the hopes for true reconciliation in South Africa? In what ways do you hope "The Syringa Tree" can help foster this...
...miraculous place, the new South Africa. I think South Africans there, and all over the world, have a unique perspective and a unique opportunity to build love and joy where there was sorrow and despair. It will take time, but I have great faith in the outcome. If "The Syringa Tree" can be a tiny part of a new message of hope and joy, I'm honored and deeply grateful...