A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Sizwe Banzi Is Dead

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2m

Athol Fugard, John Kani, Winston Ntshona

"A joyous hymn to human nature." - The New York Times

"Hypnotic...Overwhelming compassion...Powerful."- The New York Post

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2m

Details

Summary
In Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Sizwe Banzi, a African worker whose passbook is not in order, walks into the photograph studio of Styles, another African. Without a proper passbook, Sizwe Banzi cannot work and therefore cannot support his wife and four children. Returning drunkenly from a bar one night, Sizwe Banzi and his friend, Buntu, stumble across the body of a dead man whose passbook is in order. Photographer Styles attaches Sizwe Banzi's photo to the dead man's passbook. So Sizwe Banzi "dies" by taking on the dead man's identity and so, too, lives again so he can support himself and his family.
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"A joyous hymn to human nature." - The New York Times

"Hypnotic...Overwhelming compassion...Powerful."- The New York Post

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $120 per performance

Scripts

Available Formats:

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Athol Fugard

Athol Fugard is an internationally acclaimed South African playwright whose best-known work deals with the political and social upheaval of the apartheid system in South Africa. He was educated at the University of Cape Town. His plays include “Master Harold”...and the Boys, ...

View full profile
Author

John Kani

Author

Winston Ntshona

Now Playing