SAMSON
third world bunfight . woordfees festival . 2019
This hard-edged music-theatre experience, driven by an electrifying live electronic score that blends opera, choral vocals, dynamic ensemble work and stunning video visuals, is a reimagining of the classic biblical tale, removing it from its religious roots and placing it in a dystopian world shaped by rampant capitalism, human displacement, xenophobia and violence. It challenges us to confront the historical injustices and suppressed anger that often fuel the brutal acts of terror carried out by marginalised and alienated men.
CREATIVE TEAM
script, design & direction : Brett Bailey
musical composition & direction : Shane Cooper
design collaboration : Tanya P. Johnson
choreography : Elvis Sibeko
animation design : Kirsti Cumming
lighting design : Wolf Britz
sound design : Marcel Bezuidenhout
AWARDS
2021
Music Theatre NOW! Competition (Global) : one of 6 winners
2020
kykNET Fiestas (South African National Theatre Awards) : Best Music Theatre Production and Best Director, and nominated for Best Production, Best Design and Best Costumes
2019
Woordfees : Best Technical Achievement Award for music and musical direction by Shane Cooper and video animation by Kirsti Cumming
TOURING HISTORY
2024
Teatros del Canal, Madrid
2023
Nanterre, France
International Theatre Festival of Kerala, India
Africologne Festival, Germany
2021
Festival d’Avignon, France.
GREC Festival, Barcelona, Spain
2019
National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa
Woordfees, Stellenbosch, South Africa
REVIEWS
[Brett Bailey] gives us a musical, a ritual, a sensory feast. Everything is thrown at it: dance, big screen animated projection, a live electronic soundtrack created by jazz hotshot Shane Cooper, bizarre costuming, an onslaught of symbolism.
Steve Kretzmann, The Critter
But that’s Bailey who puts on a show with such fire that at first viewing one can’t help burning up. It took a second viewing, a luxury at an arts festival, to take in the full scale of this massive production. It can be overwhelming but once you sit back and allow the story to unfold with everything available; a compelling narrator, a brilliantly animated backdrop, actors/dancers/singers, music and musicians, in typical Bailey fashion, it’s all there as he deals with a dysfunctional and destructive world in a way that tears at your heart.
Diane De Beer, De Beer Necessities