The Road to Mecca
Encyclopedia
The Road to Mecca is a play
by South Africa
's Athol Fugard
.
It was inspired by the story of Helen Martins who lived in Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape
, South Africa
and created The Owl House
, now a national monument
.
The play was performed at the National Theatre
in London
and then moved to the Spoleto Festival USA
in 1987 starring Athol Fugard as the Rev. Marius Byleveld, Charlotte Cornwell
as Elsa Barlow and Yvonne Bryceland
as Miss Helen. The play won the 1988 New York Drama Critics' Circle
Award for Best Foreign Play.
as Elsa Barlow, and Yvonne Bryceland as Miss Helen.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's Athol Fugard
Athol Fugard
Athol Fugard is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director who writes in English, best known for his political plays opposing the South African system of apartheid and for the 2005 Academy-Award winning film of his novel Tsotsi, directed by Gavin Hood...
.
It was inspired by the story of Helen Martins who lived in Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and created The Owl House
The Owl House
The Owl House is a museum in Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The house itself was inherited by a woman named Helen Martins after her parents had died .-Construction:...
, now a national monument
National heritage sites (South Africa)
National heritage sites in South Africa are structures or defined areas of land declared to be of historic or cultural importance and granted certain legal protections...
.
The play was performed at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and then moved to the Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
in 1987 starring Athol Fugard as the Rev. Marius Byleveld, Charlotte Cornwell
Charlotte Cornwell
-Life and career:Cornwell was born in Marylebone, London, England, the daughter of Ronald Cornwell. She is the half-sister of spy novelist John le Carré . She describes him as "the best brother a girl could have"...
as Elsa Barlow and Yvonne Bryceland
Yvonne Bryceland
Yvonne Bryceland was a South African stage actress.-Career:Bryceland worked as a newspaper librarian before her theatrical début in Stage Door in 1947...
as Miss Helen. The play won the 1988 New York Drama Critics' Circle
New York Drama Critics' Circle
The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
Award for Best Foreign Play.
1992 film adaptation
The 1992 film adaptation of The Road to Mecca, written by Peter Goldsmid, who also co-directed it with Fugard, starred Fugard as the Rev. Marius Byleveld, Kathy BatesKathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
as Elsa Barlow, and Yvonne Bryceland as Miss Helen.