Sophie Joans, of Observatory, and Anthea Thompson, of Plumstead, co-star in Dog Rose, a two-person play at the Baxter theatre later this month.
Directed by Jemma Kahn, of Vredehoek, and written by Joans, the production focuses on Rose (Thompson), who is on the autism spectrum, and her daughter, Nina (Joans), as they try to make sense of their lives, the world, and their relationship.
Joans, who has been performing her one-woman show, Île, since 2022, says she wanted to depict how autism was presented in women.
“I want to show the ways in which life is sometimes very difficult, and how a diagnosis could lead to autistic people getting the support and compassion they need and deserve.”
Joans says it is a dream to be sharing the stage with Thompson who has been in the entertainment industry for over 30 years.
“I’ve been a massive fan of hers for many years. Watching her become a character has taught me a lot about acting and when we are in dialogue on stage together, it is truly magic.”
Thompson has performed in stage productions of Evita and Cabaret and more recently she appeared in the M-Net series White Lies.
“After 30 years of hard grafting, including writing, producing and performing my own shows, I felt somewhat burnt out, and so I took some time out. I am happy to be back on stage with Sophie in this very special production of Dog Rose,” she says.
Dog Rose will play at the Baxter Studio from Thursday May 23 to Saturday June 1, at 6.30pm. Tickets are R120 to R200 from Webtickets. Email Carmen Kearns at carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za for more information.
