The Memories

About the piece:

The Memories, directed by Kristina Johnstone and Lelia Bester, explores intimate and disjointed narratives of home, belonging, recovery and loss. The work originated as an artistic response to Cecil Skotnes’ painting The Last Supper. Through an embodied process of devising in response to the artwork, overarching themes of displacement, loss and redemption emerged that were woven into a loose narrative informed by current global events marked by the impacts of war, the plight of refugees and the politics of mobility. 

The Memories was re-created as a full-length work for the Vrystaat Arts Festival in 2024. The current iteration of this work for the CASA symposium “Democratic Traumas; Democratic Desires” builds on the layers and residues of these past performances as we re-imagined the work in the desolate Building 7 on South Campus. The performance score is iterative, exploring exhaustion and repetition, and structured around affective and kinesthetic responses that become a pleading invocation of refuge, remembrance and hope.

Production Credits:

Directors: Kristina Johnstone and Lelia Bester

Scenography: Nadine Minnaar

Costume Design: Cindy Nhlangwini

Lighting Design: Phuti Matuba

Special acknowledgement goes to the UP School of the Arts: Drama Production Logistics staff

Refreshments Available: (cashless sales)

• Water


• Soft drinks


• Wine (for sale to persons 18 years and older)


• Snacks

 Prohibited Items:

• Alcohol


• Weapons


• Photography or videography of any performances


• Eating or drinking inside any venues

Allowed:

• Photography or videography outside the venues


• Having fun

Parking:

• Parking is available on the University of Pretoria Hatfield Campus (South Campus) with a valid ticket confirmation for the applicable day.


• Parking is not available for registered University of Pretoria students.

Ticketing support:

PHONE: 012 880 26 35

EMAIL: [email protected] 

Monday to Friday: 9am to 5 pm | Saturdays: 10am to 2pm | Sundays: 10am to 1pm | Public Holidays: 10am to 1pm