Athol Fugard's Exits and Entrances: The Playwright, the Actor and the Poet

Abstract

The theme of “exits and entrances” can be traced on various levels, e.g. on the personal level of death (Fugard’s father, the deaths of Marais and Huguenet) and birth (Fugard’s daughter); on the professional level (the end of Huguenet’s career versus the start of Fugard’s career), as well as political (one political dispensation taking the place of another). Against this thematic background three characters emerge: the Playwright (Young Fugard), the Actor (André Huguenet) and the Poet (Eugène Marais). This paper explores the interconnections and interactions between these three people and focuses on the aspect which binds them together, namely the issue of Afrikaner identity. Although all three of them stand outside of a narrow definition of this identity, they can all be defined in terms of their links with the Afrikaner, their position within the Afrikaner community and their stand towards Afrikaans. Opsomming Die tema van “exits and entrances” speel in op verskillende vlakke in die drama, byvoorbeeld op die persoonlike vlak van dood (Fugard se vader, die afsterwe van Marais en Huguenet) en geboorte (Fugard se dogter); op die professionele vlak (die einde van Huguenet se loopbaan versus die aanvang van Fugard se loopbaan), sowel as op die politieke vlak (een politieke dispensasie neem die plek van ‘n volgende een oor). Drie karakters kom na vore teen die agtergrond van hierdie temas: die Dramaturg (“Young Fugard”), die Akteur (André Huguenet) en die digter (Eugène Marais). Hierdie artikel ondersoek die interkonneksies en interaksies tussen hierdie drie persone en fokus op die aspek wat hulle saambind, naamlik die saak van Afrikaner-identiteit. Alhoewel al drie buite ‘n eng definisie van hierdie identiteit staan, kan hulle almal gedefinieer word in terme van hulle verbintenisse met die Afrikaner, hulle posisie binne die Afrikanergemeenskap en hulle houding t.o.v. Afrikaans.