LIFE & TIMES OF MICHAEL K
baxter theatre centre . pam golding theatre . 2021
Epic in scale, this intricate theatrical production blends puppetry, performance, film, and stirring music to bring JM Coetzee’s Booker Prize-winning novel to life. The poignant and haunting tale follows Michael K, an ordinary man on a journey through a war-torn South Africa. Determined to honor his mother's wish to die on her birthplace farm, he discovers resilience in his humanity, a deep bond with the land, and a unique journey that ultimately reveals his purpose in life.
CREATIVE TEAM
script & direction : Lara Foot
puppetry design & direction : Handspring Puppet Company
music : Kyle Shepherd
set design : Patrick Curtis
projection design : Kirsti Cumming
videography : Fiona MacPherson & Barrett De Kock
editing : Yoav Dagan
lighting design : Joshua Cutts
sound design : Simon Kohler
AWARDS
2023
Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best Production and Best Puppetry Design
TOURING HISTORY
2025
Chicago & Boston, USA
2024
Shanghai, & Guangzhou, China
Beverley Hills, USA
2023
Galway, Ireland
Edinburgh, Scotland
New York, USA
2022
Luxembourg
2021
Dusseldorf & Ludwigshafen, Germany
REVIEWS
A marvel to behold.
The New York Times
Immense artistry....
The Guardian
Extraordinary...dreamlike quality...beautiful...and yearning for purpose.
The New Yorker
Spellbinding, heart-stopping, mind-freeing: everything that theater should be....gorgeous and moving.
The Daily Beast
Visually it is spectacular and achieves a moving world that is both elaborate and evocative … Foot has thrown all her energy and skill into this one and there are many memorable moments to witness and remember. It is a worthy production that captures the zeitgeist
Dianne de Beer, DeBeer Necessities