Poster for the 2000 Royal National Theatre production The Island is a play written,, and. The -era drama, inspired by a true story, is set in an unnamed clearly based on 's notorious, where was held for twenty-seven years.

It focuses on two cellmates, one whose successful appeal means that his release draws near and one who must remain in prison for many years to come. They spend their days performing futile physical labor and nights rehearsing in their cell for a performance of ' in front of the other prisoners. One takes the part of Antigone, who defies the laws of the state to bury her brother, and the other takes the part of her uncle Creon, who sentences her to die for her crime of conscience. The play draws parallels between Antigone's situation and the situation of black political prisoners. Tensions arise as the performance approaches, especially when one of the prisoners learns that he has won an early release and the men's deep friendship is tested. The Island bears testament to the resiliency of the human heart. Contents • • • • • • • • Structure [ ] The play has four scenes.

It opens with a lengthy mimed sequence in which John and Winston, two cell mates imprisoned on Robben Island, shovel sand in the scorching heat, dumping the sand at the feet of the other man, so that the pile of sand never diminishes. This is designed to exhaust the body and the morale of the prisoners. Later scenes include a, as Winston and John perform a condensed two-person version of Antigone by Sophocles. History [ ] The play was first performed in Cape Town, at a theatre called, in July 1973.

In order to evade the draconian censorship in South Africa at the time (plays dealing with prison conditions, etc., were prohibited), the play premiered under the title, Die Hodoshe Span. It was next staged at the in, with John Kani and Winston Ntshona portraying John and Winston respectively. The production, presented in with, opened on November 24, 1974 at the, where it ran for 52 performances. In an unusual move, Kani and Ntshona were named co- nominees (and eventual co-winners) for Best Actor in a Play for both The Island and Sizwe Banzi Is Dead. Over the next thirty years, Kani and Ntshona periodically performed in productions of the play. Notable among them were the in 2000, reported at the time as their final production, although they went on to star at the in 2002 and the in 2004. Download Brother Conflict Ep 10 Sub Indo. Plot [ ] John and Winston share a prison cell on an unnamed Island.