Following on from their multi-award winning, highly acclaimed production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane, How Now Brown Cow is excited to bring a local, topical, powerful, new work to the South African stage.
Expelled is a play about social media’s power to connect and its power to destroy. Can a few minutes of bad judgment ruin a life?
Rehearsals are well underway ahead of its South African Premiere in Cape Town at The Baxter Theatre on Wednesday 7 February, running for a limited season until 2 March 2024.
It then transfers to Johannesburg where it’ll be on stage at The Mannie Manim Theatre at The Market Theatre from 7th – 31st March 2024.
Expelled is a family drama which focuses on the largely ungoverned world of social media. Alex, a Matric pupil at an elite school, gets caught up in a viral scandal and is suspended. Once shared, lives alter in seconds, what’s seen cannot be unseen. The ramifications for his family are profound.
Written by Rosalind Butler, Expelledwas created out of How Now Brown Cow’s script development program, The Writers’ Collective during lockdown in 2021.
Directed by Craig Freimond, the cast features Charmaine Weir-Smith and Antony Coleman alongside Nicolas Hattingh.
Featuring Graham Hopkins and Amelia Smith, who make up the full cast.
Designs for the production are by Kieran McGregor and Daniel Rutland Manners.
“The topicality of Expelled immediately appealed to How Now Brown Cow and we are proud to have nurtured it’s development through The Writers’ Collective,” says Julie-Anne McDowell, founder of and producer at How Now Brown Cow. “It is a pertinent play for our social media obsessed world, and we believe it’s critical impact will resonate loudly for years to come. We all need to witness this valuable story.”
Expelled transfers from Cape Town to Johannesburg’s Market Theatre where it will play in the Mannie Manim Theatre from Thursday 7th March – Sunday 31st March 2024 and is produced in association with The Market Theatre for its Joburg run.
Performances are Wednesdays to Saturdays at 19h00 and matinee performances on Saturdays and Sundays at 15h00.
There will be additional schools’ performances at 11h00 on Thursdays during the run.
Age advisory: No under 12’s
Tickets are available via Webtickets at just R230 with discounts for students and block bookings available.
This production is a must see for all high school learners who make use of social media, and for their parents wading through the minefield! – Significant school learner discounts will be on offer via Anthony Ezeoke on AnthonyE@markettheatre or 083 246 4950 at R160 per ticket. For school groups of 10 or more, tickets will be at R100 per learner.
The Expelled cast:
Charmaine Weir Smith (Lou Bolton)
Antony Coleman (Rich Bolton)
Nicholas Hattingh (Alex Bolton)
Graham Hopkins (Mr Moore – The Headmaster)
Amelia Smith (Cass)
