The story of Albie Sachs comes to the stage in “Albie Sachs: Fathers, Sons and Soft Vengeance”, a one-person play written by Gail Louw, directed by Fiona Ramsay and starring Graham Hopkins as Sachs.
The production looks at the life of the former anti-apartheid activist, constitutional architect and human rights advocate through his experiences of violence, recovery, family and fatherhood.
Sachs was 17 when he first joined the struggle against apartheid. Years later, in 1988, his life changed when a car bomb planted by apartheid-era security forces in Mozambique left him without an arm and sight in one eye.
The play follows the impact of that attack while also looking beyond Sachs’ public life. His relationship with his father, Solly Sachs, and his experience of becoming a father later in life - to his son, Oliver - form part of the story.
At the centre of the production is Sachs’ idea of “soft vengeance”, the belief that creating a free and democratic South Africa based on human rights and justice could be an answer to the oppression of apartheid, rather than a pursuit of retribution.
Ramsay said Sachs’ life provided material that was both personal and political.
“Staging a play on the life of Albie Sachs offers rich emotional and dramatic terrain,” she said.
“His story is both epic and intimate - spanning resistance, loss, recovery and fatherhood. It captures not only what happened to Sachs and what he did, but also who he is: his moral vision, emotional resilience and unwavering idealism."
“Albie is an inspiring figure who overcame great odds and, with this play, the audience will leave not just with knowledge but feeling transformed by the experience.”
The production previously ran at Theatre on the Square in Sandton earlier this year. Hopkins and Ramsay have worked together on productions including “Twelfth Night”, “My Fair Lady” and “Hansard”, while Ramsay has also directed Louw’s “Blonde Poison” at the Baxter.
“Albie Sachs: Fathers, Sons and Soft Vengeance” runs from Tuesday, October 13 to Saturday, October 31 at the Baxter Studio, with performances at 8pm and Saturday matinees at 3pm.
Tickets are available through Webtickets online and at Pick n Pay stores.