The Thought Provoking Protest Play

Initially banned in his home country upon its release in the early 80s, South African protest playwright Athol Fugard's seminal work Master Harold and the Boys deftly dissects the racial tensions of Apartheid South Africa. Eventually becoming a critically-lauded classic, its run on Broadway in 1982 won a slew of accolades, including a Tony and Drama Desk Award. The play still holds importance in our modern era and is well worth experiencing when it returns this year.

What Is It About?

Master Harold is a semi-autobiographical drama that takes place in a tea room in the coastal city Port Elizabeth, one similar to Fugard's own mother's. In the one-act play, the shop is owned by lead character Hally's mum. Young, privileged and white, Hally spends a lot of time in the company of Sam and Willie, two middle-aged African servants. Close as they may be, institutionalised racism rears its ugly head, pulling up important questions about the legacies it leaves behind.