My Children! My Africa! presented by Washington Stage Guild at Undercroft Theatre

My Children! My Africa!

Undercroft Theatre
900 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington

The great South African playwright's meditation on education and its role in the struggle for justice, along with its sad limits in a culture of oppression and bigotry. In an Eastern Cape Karoo town in South Africa in 1984, devoted teacher Mr. M seeks to provide a future for his prize pupil Thami by forming a debate team with a bright student from the local white school, Isabel. But Mr. M's hopes for Thami are challenged by their generational divide and the political violence brewing outside the classroom.

Presented by Washington Stage Guild

Thru - Dec 5, 2021

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 2:30pm & 8:00pm

Sundays: 2:30pm

stageguild.org

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My Children! My Africa! Reviews

Average Rating based on 3 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...But it’s what Mr. M says that has particular resonance, especially when he’s confessing how hard it is to hope in a world of division and systemic injustice. The power of language and discussion, as opposed to violence, is another of his beliefs. He tells Thami, who is tempted by militant activism: “If the struggle needs weapons, give it words.”"

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- Celia Wren

DC Theater Arts - Recommended

"...The three-character drama plays out in the simple classroom of an all-Black high school in a segregated township. Thami, a highly promising Black student, has a spirited debate over women's rights with a visiting white student, Isabel. Thami's teacher, Mr. M, an old-school pedagogue who believes passionately in the power of words to uplift members of his race, encourages the pair to team up and enter a competitive quiz on English literature. Not only would it serve as a sterling example of interracial cooperation, if they win; the prize money may enable Thami to attend college."

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- Amy Kotkin

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

"...Act One is slightly stately in it's pacing and length. But Act Two brings the heat and the storm and ratchets up the tensions in these three characters' lives and, by proxy, in the wider world. The parallel to our current social unrest and divisions in this country is frighteningly relevant. This production of "My Children! My Africa!" is well worth seeing, discussing, and taking those lessons to heart."

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- Mary Ann Johnson

My Children! My Africa! presented by Washington Stage Guild at Undercroft Theatre