A compelling adaptation of Kafka’s "Report to an Academy,” subtly transforming the original text into a universally relatable yet unsettling exploration of what it means to adapt as an “other” in society. This adaptation puts Red Peter the Ape in a South African context compelling him to irradiate his survival in post-apartheid existence. The fundamental structure of the story remains the container while, Red Peter’s journey presents us with an opportunity to explore, through the animal gaze, the tension between self and other.
Time: 1 hour
Language: English
Post show discussion with artists
Adapted by Phala Ookeditse from the story by Kafka
Performed by Tony Miyambo
Photos by Zivanai Matangi
Winner of the Outstanding Performance Award at Prague Fringe Festival, the Graham F Smith Peace Foundation Award at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and the Lustrum Award at the Edinburgh Fringe
With the Czech Center
ABOUT:
Phala Ookeditse Phala is a multi-award-winning ‘storyer’ in the form of a playwright, theatre-maker, dramaturge and director whose work has won awards in South Africa, USA, Czech Republic, Australia and Scotland. He is the Co-Director of Noma Yini. His has over 20 years experience in arts practice which includes having worked at The Centre for the Less Good Idea as its Animateur. He holds a Masters in Dramatic Arts from University of the Witwatersrand. His works champion emotional and psychologically-stimulating storying as a uniquely African aesthetic. His focus and interest are on methodologies of making and creating work in ways that collapse and disrupt conventional norms.
Tony Bonani Miyambo is an actor and theatre-maker with is a BA (Dramatic Arts) Graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand. Over the years Tony has also steadily built a career in both the theatre and the South African Television industry as a producer, writer, actor and director. He has worked for various production companies for properties across formats, from variety shows to long-form drama. Over his career, Tony has been part of numerous theatre productions, some of which have toured all over the world. His body of work includes acclaimed solo performances The Cenotaph of Dan Wa Moriri, Commission Continua, and multiple-international-award winning Kafka’s Ape. Tony was also awarded the 2012 Brett Goldin Award and studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon, UK.
ABOUT THE 2025 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL
Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival, honoring Václav Havel, is a showcase of contemporary European theater organized each year in New York City. Conceived in 2017 as a shared endeavor of the Václav Havel Center (VHC) and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA), the festival honors the legacy of Czech playwright, dissident and political thinker Vaclav Havel.
Each edition of Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival addresses current sociopolitical trends in Central and Eastern Europe, offering New York audiences a unique opportunity to witness the region’s theatrical zeitgeist.
The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.