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Rajesh Gopie in Out of Bounds, his insightful iconic one hander comedy about grappling with being |an a South African Indian living under apartheid.
It is not a story about apartheid or the politics of the time, but about things personal. It is a tale of human relationships impacted by the political system which infused everything – what we ate, how we spoke, and what we thought.
These are the words of Durban actor and playwright Rajesh Gopie, who is back in town for another season of his acclaimed play, Out of Bounds, a classic Durban story of rite of passage.
It is booked in at the kraal-shaped iZulu Theatre at Sibaya Casino, near Umhlanga, from Tuesday to Sunday next week.
“It is a father-son dilemma set against the background of a South Africa in transition,” says Gopie.
“Although it is a one-man show, it is far removed from usual stand-up fare. It is a marriage of humour, craft, art and storytelling.”
He goes on to label it “an important Durban breyani”, adding that “it is not a play by Indians for Indians, it is a play about South Africa for South Africans”.
Gopie explains that the interpersonal dynamics between men in a close-knit community is not often explored on stage.
“Men grow up holding onto their emotions. Even when it is painfully sore, they hold on. This gets acted out in different ways and can be seen in instances of infidelity, violence, conflict and alcoholism,” he says.
Out of Bounds refers geographically, physically and emotionally to literally being out of bounds – tasting what is beyond yourself.
Written by Gopie and directed by American director Tina Johnson, the play premiered at the Market Theatre in Joburg and then played the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, in 1999.
Out of Bounds put Gopie on the national and international map.
“”I was an unemployed, unknown actor before Out of Bounds placed me firmly in the mainstream and afforded me a national identity.
“It is testimony to Tina’s belief in me and love for this country that made everything possible. I never thought that a decade later I would be where I am.”
Gopie has toured extensively with Out of Bounds and has played to some great global luminaries. Dame Maggie Smith approached him after a performance in Edinburgh in 2003 and heaped praise on him, as did Nadine Gordimer and Dame Janet Suzman.
Gordimer so loved the production that she arranged for a private viewing for then-president Nelson Mandela.
Rajesh’s performance for Mandela is one of the highlights of his career. That Madiba sang his praises is hugely meaningful to him. Mandela publicly called it: “A deeply moving and powerful theatre experience.”
Gopie continued his collaboration with Johnson with the inaugural season of The Coolie Odyssey (2002) for the main programme of the Grahamstown festival. It brought to mainstream theatre a story of Indian immigration to South Africa.
The production was restaged under the direction of Heinrich Reisenhofer for Durban’s Playhouse Company in 2005.
Gopie himself redirected the production to mark the 150th commemorations of the arrivals of Indian settlers to KwaZulu-Natal.
The Coolie Odyssey has been staged twice in Durban, at Joburg’s Market Theatre, in Grahamstown, in Pietermaritzburg, in Bombay and also in Delhi and Calcutta.
As well as creating his own works, Gopie has performed in a myriad theatre productions, movies and TV dramas.
Soaps
Gopie has worked on TV in soaps and dramas such as Generations, Scandals and Zero Tolerance. He has worked on eight feature films, including playing the bookie in Hansie, and appearing in Shake Hands With the Devil by director Roger Spottiswoode (who directed the 007 film Tomorrow Never Dies), shot in Rwanda.
Gopie also enjoys teaching and has lectured and taught widely – including seasons at the Whittier College, as artistic director in residence in Los Angeles; running workshops and lecturing for UK Arts International at various high schools and colleges in the UK; and lecturing across India, from Bombay to Delhi, for the National School of Drama.
Despite travelling extensively, he calls Durban home.
“I grew up in a happy Durban family at Munshi’s Corner in ‘the ‘states’ (Clare Estate),” he recalls.
The eldest of three children, he matriculated in 1989 from Clare Hill Secondary, then worked with Alfred Hinkel at the Jazzart dance theatre in Cape Town in 1990.
He studied stagecraft at the then-Technikon Natal for two years, and English history and drama at the University of Durban-Westville, graduating in 1996.
He is hugely excited to be working on Out of Bounds again – 13 years after its first season.
“It tells everybody’s story and feeds into families’ obsession with families,” he says.
Tickets for Out of Bounds are available at Computicket outlets and at Sibaya Casino’s box-office.
