I See You

Synopsis

Post-Apartheid South Africa, after dark.

Ben, a nineteen-year-old South African raised in America, finds his life dramatically altered upon his return to South Africa, where he is now a student at Wits University. One fateful night, he crosses paths with Buthelezi, a fifty-five-year-old ex-MK soldier and now a police sergeant, who is grappling with a tumultuous past and a bitter divorce. Their encounter is catalysed during a tense police stop, where the generational and cultural chasm between them is starkly highlighted.

The play unravels amidst the vibrant yet fractured backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa. Buthelezi represents the old guard, burdened by history and personal demons, while Ben embodies the new, disconnected yet seeking identity and belonging. Alongside them, characters like Skinn, a young, rebellious Afrikaner girl, and Masinga, a scheming opportunist, weave their narratives into this tapestry of conflict and reconciliation. The dialogue is raw and charged, exploring themes of identity, legacy, and the lingering shadows of apartheid. With a blend of realism and poetic introspection, I See You vividly portrays the ongoing quest for understanding and healing in a society still scarred by its past.