La Bohème Abanxaxni Theatre Production

In the dramatic production, the main character in the opera, Mimi, falls in love with Lungelo, and also becomes ill and eventually dies of TB. According to the director Mark Dornford-May, people like Mimi are dying every day in Khayelithsa, so the story has dramatic resonance with the local community. The Stop TB Partnership states that while the number of TB cases have come down in most parts of the world, in South Africa numbers are going up.

During rehearsals, a researcher from Stellenbosch University’s Desmond Tutu TB Centre met with performers to talk about what causes TB and how it affects people. This prompted the cast to incorporate messages into the drama, such as opening windows in a taxi to prevent the spread of TB, and also influenced how the characters of Mimi and her friends in La Bohème Abanxaxni were portrayed.

Besides local performances, the production travelled to London in May 2012.

Tuberculosis

Isango Ensemble was founded in 2000 in Cape Town, drawing its performers from the previously disadvantaged townships surrounding the city. Isango creates performances with a strong South African flavour by re-imagining Western theatre classics within a South African or township setting and by creating new work reflecting South African heritage.