New Horizons
London Debut
Tshepang, the 70-minute, one-act play that brought Foot Newton to life for Sir Peter, is her first original drama. Such an experienced reader of scripts as Sir Peter could recognise the potential of such a property instantly. From his hands, it quickly passed into those of Thea Sharrock, a former assistant who was just taking up the reins as artistic director of The Gate, London’s self-appointed “home of international drama”. Sharrock pounced on the chance to present it as the opening attraction of her tenure, for three weeks beginning in September 2004. The scheme fell into place in six weeks: the twinkling of an eye.
Unsuspected Discoveries
At home in South Africa between stints with Sir Peter, Foot Newton found herself guided by his example. In workshops with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, she began experimenting in a new vein, abandoning her previous improvisatory practice (“making plays on the floor”) to focus on structure, form and rhythm of language and scenes. “I surprised the students,” she said. “I surprised myself.”
Following Her Mentor’s Advice
After Tshepang, Sir Peter’s chief piece of advice to Foot Newton came down to two words: “Write more.” It intrigued him to hear of a writing project she had in hand, working title Gravitas, the anatomy of a relationship between a man and woman who live in a village that is gradually sinking into the earth. “I’m not sure I like the story yet,“ Foot Newton confessed while in a preliminary stage. “It’s inspired by what is happening around us, but I still don’t know why the village is rotting away.”