In a South Africa characterized by apartheid, violence and strict control, Michael K lives in the outskirts of society. He is withdrawn, marginalized and difficult to place socially and existentially. Born into poverty with a cleft palate, his environment considers him abnormal and feebleminded.

We follow Michael K as he tries to fulfill his mother’s last wish, to die in the place where she was born. And we also follow the consequences of his quiet resistance. A resistance made up of withdrawing, seeking peace and quiet, tilling the soil and living as unassumingly as possible. In a society in which everyone is expected to define themselves politically, socially or ideologically, he refuses to take part. And his refusal becomes a threat. The state sees him as suspicious since they can’t categorize him, and the health care system finds him problematic since he doesn’t want to be “cured”.

Life and Times of Michael K is a dramatized version of Nobel prizewinner J.M. Coetzee’s novel with the same title. The performance combines puppet theatre with acting, film and newly composed music. Through the body of a puppet, Michael K is given another kind of stage presence. Fragile, unadorned and almost weightless.

This piece speaks directly to the times we live in by raising questions about boundaries, migration, surveillance, productivity and the right to withdraw. Moving far beyond political slogans, it deals with the existential themes of freedom, a sense of belonging and silent resistance.

This production is directed by Lara Foot, internationally esteemed director and artistic leader of Baxter Theatre Centre in Capetown, whose work has appeared on leading stages and at significant festivals throughout the world.

Founded in 1981, Handspring Puppet Company is a leading troupe in modern puppet theatre. They have renewed the art form by combining traditional craftsmanship with innovative techniques and contemporary themes. During the apartheid era in South Africa, this company created artworks for adults in which the puppets visualized and expressed stories of identity, power and resistance in ways that were more difficult to present in other art genres. They participated in the Gothenburg Dance and Theatre Festival in 1994 with their unforgettable production of Woyzeck on the Highveld.

Performed in English, without subtitles.

On Stage
Sandra Prinsloo, Andrew Buckland, Faniswa Yisa, Carlo Daniels, Billy Langa, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe

Puppet Master
Craig Leo

Puppeteers
Roshina Ratnam, Markus Schabbing

Artistic Team

Text and Direction
Lara Foot

Puppet Direction
Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones

Puppet Direction, Design, and Construction
Adrian Kohler, Handspring Puppet Company

Music
Kyle Shepherd

Stage Adaptation
Lara Foot

In Collaboration With
Handspring Puppet Company

Set Design
Patrick Curtis

Dramaturgy
Felicitas Zürcher

Costume Design
Phyllis Midlane

Lighting Design
Joshua Cutts

Sound Design
Simon Kohler

Sound System Design
David Claassen

Video Design and Editing
Yoav Dagan

Video Design
Kirsti Cumming

Film Stills and Photography
Fiona McPherson

Photography
Barrett de Kock

Production team

Stage Manager
Puleng Mabuya

Company Manager
Jeanne Steenkamp

Lighting 
Frankly Steyn

Set Builder
Chris Spogter

Life and Times of Michael K is a co-production between Baxter Theatre Centre, Handspring Puppet Theatre, Theater der Welt Düsseldorf 2021, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.

Special Thanks To
Stefan Schmidtke, Wilfried Schulz, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus,
Theater der Welt Düsseldorf 2021, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg

Handspring Puppet Company is internationally represented by Quaternaire.

Presented with generous support from the Sten A. Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture.