Jenna Fish, a 24-year-old actress and playwright from Noordhoek, will stage her debut production, Unpacking Mr Becker, at the Magnet Theatre in Observatory.
A drama and theatre-studies graduate with a teaching diploma from Stellenbosch University, Ms Fish co-wrote, directed, and produced the one-woman play.
“I have always been very extroverted and loved being in front of a crowd, whether that was playing my violin or speaker-reader competitions. I loved the feeling of performance,” she says. “Theatre for me is the purest form of acting and storytelling.”
While theatre has always inspired her, she acknowledges that playwriting is something new for her.
“If you’d asked me at university, I would have said no, I don’t write. I’ve never thought of myself as someone who could. But this process has proved that it’s just yet another skill that needs to be exercised. I hope I will be brave enough to continue to do so.”
Unpacking Mr Becker follows Bella, a granddaughter tasked with sorting through her distant grandfather’s attic. Through unexpected discoveries, Bella confronts the complexities of truth and its impact.
“The idea for the play really sparked after a conversation I’d had with a friend who was busy typing up his grandad’s autobiography,” Ms Fish says.
“He uncovered a huge sadness that had happened in his grandpa’s childhood, that he’d never known and would have never even thought to ask. This got me thinking about all that dies with the person when they grow old – memories forgotten, stories fragmented.”
The play, which she began developing in June, came together after months of writing and rehearsals. “It’s amazing – things really do come together just before the curtain call,” she says.
“I wrote the play hoping to resonate with people of my generation, those in their early adulthood. After creation, I wonder if the older generations might appreciate it more, with an eye of reminiscence? My hope is that I have created something that feels familiar to everyone, something reachable and personal in one way or another.”
She believes the story has a universal message. “It’s a reminder of the importance of family, of slowing down, of taking time to connect – to get to know the stories, the lives lived by those who came before us.
“I hope the empathy of the play will linger for the audience members. That they might be inspired to make that phone call or have that coffee date that was always pushed aside when something more interesting or ‘important’ came along.”
Unpacking Mr Becker will be performed at the Magnet Theatre on Friday December 6, Monday December 9, and Wednesday December 11, at 7.30pm
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