The University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts and Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre Center, in partnership with the UI International Writing Program, will present Book Wings South Africa, a unique collaborative theater initiative. This free production will be staged at noon Tuesday, March 10, in Theatre B at the UI Theatre Building, 200 N. Riverside Drive, Iowa City.

Utilizing the latest digital and new media technologies, the production will bring together actors, writers, directors, and stages—one in Iowa City and one in Cape Town, South Africa—to produce one integrated, interactive theater experience. A conversation with members of the cast, directors, and playwrights will follow the performance. Refreshments will be available starting at 11:30 a.m.

Now in its fourth year, the performance features six new short plays—commissioned on the theme of “release”—from distinguished South African and American playwrights, including UI alumni Keith Josef Adkins and Peter Ullian. In previous years, Book Wings connected with theaters in China, Iraq, and Russia.

The full performance will include:

• The Disappointment by Keith Josef Adkins: A family is faced with the burden of reconciling the tension between the obligation of kinship and a history of heartache.
• Sicawa Street by Katori Hall: On election day in Cape Town, April 27, 1994, a mother and her son share a meal and a conversation.
• Invisible Eden by Mandla Mbothwe: A short play about family, music, time, pain, and living.
• Blood Pastoral by Wessel Pretorius: Young Dawid Russouw takes and misses a series of phone calls.
• Waiting for Marcel by Peter Ullian: At the height of the Nazi occupation of France, with the Gestapo on their heels, a couple takes a moment to consider themselves, their work, and a new acquaintance.
• What We Wish For by Mike van Graan: Together, a mother, a father, and a son experience the intersection between life and death.

Tickets for special projects are free of charge; however, you must obtain a ticket at the door and seating is limited. The performance will also be viewable worldwide via live Internet stream at the Writing University website.

Book Wings is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at U.S. Department of State, Artscape Theatre Centre, African Arts Institute, University of Cape Town’s Theatre Department, and the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, Department of Theatre Arts, the Virtual Writing University, Information Technology Services, and UITV.

Since 1967, the IWP has hosted more than 1,400 writers from more than 140 countries, connecting well-established writers from around the globe, introducing American writers to other cultures through reading tours, publishing books and journals, pursuing cultural diplomacy, and organizing tours, conferences, and other events around the world.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact IWP in advance at 319-335-0128.