South African Playwright Attracts Full House at CCM Date: September 26, 2000 By: Marianne Kunnen-Jones Phone: (513) 556-1826 So far none of the troubles now plaguing his homeland can outweigh the good that has come from apartheid's collapse, acclaimed South African playwright Athol Fugard told a nearly packed house at UC's College-Conservatory of Music Monday night."The freedom that has been given to people...That is such an extraordinary achievement," he told the nearly 280 people who came to hear him speak at a 10th anniversary celebration for UC's Helen Weinberger Center for the Study of Drama and Playwriting. "Nothing on the debit side can outweigh that." At the same time, he acknowledged there are many problems arising in the wake of the initial euphoria of dismantling apartheid that "trouble him greatly." Corruption among government officials is just one example. Fugard is known for using his craft to expose racism and the injustice of apartheid. He last returned to South Africa two months ago. "It is so obvious racism is still very present in my country, just as it is in yours," he said. After the fall of apartheid, which provided a backdrop to so much of his work, Fugard said, he sort of felt he "was in a boxing ring without anyone to fight. I had to reinvent myself to a certain extent." That meant his writing turned to more personal stories that would have been "indulgent" to pursue while the pressing matter of apartheid took priority. All his writing, even about apartheid, is an "attempt to share secrets," he said. Fugard read from memoirs, telling his listeners about two cousins who influenced his dramatic writings. UC's "An Evening with Athol Fugard" opened with three CCM students performing a scene from one of Fugard's most well-known works, "Master Harold...And the Boys." Brandon Jones, Samuel Stricklen and Brent Gorski all received kudos from the famous playwright for their interpretation of the scene, which was directed by CCM drama chair Richard Hess. The new head of UC's English department, Leland Person, welcomed the audience to the event, opening the Weinberger Center's 10th anniversary year. The center is an interdisciplinary program sponsored by the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, the English department and CCM. Norma Jenckes, director of the Weinberger Center and associate professor of English, introduced Fugard, describing him as "the kind of person who doesn't want to be praised." Yet, she said, he was one of those rare persons who had combined courage and genius to have a tremendous impact on society. Fugard was born in South Africa in 1932, the son of an English mother and an Afrikaner father. In the 1950s he began to work in theater, participating in a mixed race company, the Circle Players, in Cape Town. He defied laws banning mixed casts and mixed audiences and many of his works were banned under apartheid, premiering instead at Yale Repertory Theatre.