PREVIEW: The Road to Mecca at Seattle Rep Theatre
Miss Helen is a reclusive South African artist, living alone in the house she has transformed into a fantastical masterpiece. But when the elderly woman’s ability to continue caring for herself is called into question, her two closest friends battle to influence her uncertain future. Celebrated South African playwright Athol Fugard brings us this stunning emotional drama, inspired by a true story, about the struggle for independence—at every stage of life.
Athol Fugard’s celebrated drama The Road to Mecca tells an intimate story about a South African artist who became notorious for the fantastical home she called her “Mecca.”
The director Leigh Silverman, is a lesbian, and one of the youngest women to ever direct on Broadway. She is incredibly talented and has directed dozens of productions in New York, London and all over the country including Broadway’s critically acclaimed Well. She wrote and directed Brandon Teena (the story about a murdered teen made famous by the movie Boys Don’t Cry) earning a GLAAD Media Award nomination.
Dee Maaske as Miss Helen amd Marya Sea Kaminski as Elsa inAthol Fugard’s The Road to Mecca directed by Leigh Silverman is
playing at the Seattle Rep Theatre. Photo copyright Chris Bennion, 2008.
The real-life story of Helen Martins is an interesting one. She returned to her childhood home in rural South Africa and began more than a decade of sculpting and building her own personal Mecca. But turning her home into an ever-evolving work of art was not without consequences. The small, religious community of Nieu-Bethesda, South Africa, deemed her work strange and sacrilegious and ostracized her. Over time, Helen became more reclusive.
After her death in 1976 at the age of 78, her home, nicknamed The Owl House, fell into disrepair. Fortunately, a group of community members brought it back to life, and today over 130,000 people make the out-of-the way journey to visit Miss Helen’s home each year.
Performances of The Road to Mecca run January 15 – February 14, 2009. A Pay-What-You-Can performance is Monday, January 19. Tickets are on sale now and range from $15-59. Anyone 25 and under may purchase tickets for only $10 for any performance (with ID – call for details).
For more information go to www.seattlerep.org.
