A new play asks: What would you do if your ex became an anti-apartheid revolutionary?
Destiny is set in the outskirts of a regional South African town, hundreds of kilometres from the politics of Pretoria. Della, played by Marillier, works in the local shop and takes care of her brother and father. The actors are on a mock-up set, but reference photos pinned to the wall give a flavour: earthy tones, sparse towns clinging to African hillsides, and some killer 1970s fashions: flared pants, Afros and polyester shirts. Behind the living room set, a wide-open sky.
Then Della's ex-boyfriend Ezra (Barry Conrad) shows up. He's back from university, bringing a Cape Town twang and big-city ideas about equality and revolution. Ezra's been 'consciontised'. The word is spoken in hushed tones. It's dangerous. He tells Della's younger brother that living under nationalist rule is like being sour milk in a bottle. 'We need to smash the bottle.'
'I've been describing the play as 'What would you do if the guy who shattered your heart into pieces was also trying to recruit your brother into the revolution?'' laughs Marillier.
The play has a stacked cast. Marillier and Conrad are joined by Patrick Williams as Della's father Cliff, and Gaz Dutlow as her tearaway teenage brother. Director Zindzi Okenyo recently headed up Sydney Theatre Company's production of Sweat, and also directed Marillier's debut play, Orange Thrower, at Griffin Theatre Company in 2022.
It's not clear exactly where Destiny takes place, but we can speculate it's somewhere around KwaZulu-Natal, where Marillier was born. Her parents went to segregated schools, and she was born into the tail end of the apartheid regime. As a child, she often overheard conversations about the country's segregated past.
'The amount of times I was like, 'What happened?'' says Marillier. ''What was life like back then?' But they're reluctant to go back there. It was a painful time.'
But she persisted. She wanted to write something set in another time. The result is Destiny. After long discussions with her father, she zeroed in on 1976, just before the Soweto Uprising. Della and her family are sheltered from the political turmoil the country will soon face.
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In Melbourne Theatre Company's base in Southbank, the cast are gathering for a run-through of Destiny, a new play written by and starring Kirsty Marillier. Destiny is set in the outskirts of a regional South African town, hundreds of kilometres from the politics of Pretoria. Della, played by Marillier, works in the local shop and takes care of her brother and father. The actors are on a mock-up set, but reference photos pinned to the wall give a flavour: earthy tones, sparse towns clinging to African hillsides, and some killer 1970s fashions: flared pants, Afros and polyester shirts. Behind the living room set, a wide-open sky. Then Della's ex-boyfriend Ezra (Barry Conrad) shows up. He's back from university, bringing a Cape Town twang and big-city ideas about equality and revolution. Ezra's been 'consciontised'. The word is spoken in hushed tones. It's dangerous. He tells Della's younger brother that living under nationalist rule is like being sour milk in a bottle. 'We need to smash the bottle.' 'I've been describing the play as 'What would you do if the guy who shattered your heart into pieces was also trying to recruit your brother into the revolution?'' laughs Marillier. The play has a stacked cast. Marillier and Conrad are joined by Patrick Williams as Della's father Cliff, and Gaz Dutlow as her tearaway teenage brother. Director Zindzi Okenyo recently headed up Sydney Theatre Company's production of Sweat, and also directed Marillier's debut play, Orange Thrower, at Griffin Theatre Company in 2022. It's not clear exactly where Destiny takes place, but we can speculate it's somewhere around KwaZulu-Natal, where Marillier was born. Her parents went to segregated schools, and she was born into the tail end of the apartheid regime. As a child, she often overheard conversations about the country's segregated past. 'The amount of times I was like, 'What happened?'' says Marillier. ''What was life like back then?' But they're reluctant to go back there. It was a painful time.' But she persisted. She wanted to write something set in another time. The result is Destiny. After long discussions with her father, she zeroed in on 1976, just before the Soweto Uprising. Della and her family are sheltered from the political turmoil the country will soon face.
