Blue Is the Water (PG)
Created and performed by: Erik De Waal
YAP Theatre Productions, Cape Town, South Africa
One Act. 65 min. Solo Show, $17, BB & EE
Saturday, Festival Tent, 9:30pm
About the Performance: Mr. de Waal tells the true story of an indigenous woman who marries a Dutch settler in the 17th Century. De Waal recalls the struggle of the Khoikhoi, a people colonized by the Dutch. The story is told from the perspective of Eva, a Khoikhoi who is torn between her people and her true love, her roots and the world of the wealthiest Dutch colonists. De Waal’s mastery of the solo show is evident as he moves through the space using only a simple blue cloth as a prop and backdrop. “From the first smooth words to the last, we are enthralled by a story, itself like the water. It pulls us in, mesmerises us. It is dangerous, reflective, dark, and beautiful.” (TheStarPhoenix)
About the Performer: Erik de Waal is a master story teller with a voice rich in the cadence of his South African home. He is a critically acclaimed dramatic artist both at home and abroad and has appeared as one of the headlining acts at both the Yukon and Edmonton International Storytelling Festivals. His shows have toured throughout Canada, in Ireland and the UK. In his home country, Mr. de Waal works mainly as a cabaret performer and has been entertaining sold out crowds there since 2001. Whether he is playing to an audience of spell-bound children or mesmerized adults, the result is always the same: they have all been taken on a magnificent journey.