Woza Albert!: relationships between performers and audience

Relationship between Performers and Audience

Identification and Engagement

The demarcative style of satire and humour in Woza Albert! allows performers to connect with the audience on a comfortable, humanistic level.
The audience can connect with the varied, relatable characters depicted by Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngema.
The audience’s pre-existing knowledge of the Apartheid regime encourages engagement with the play’s political commentary.

Use of Direct Address

Direct address techniques are frequently utilised to establish a strong communicative link between the performers and the audience.
By breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience, the performers foster a sense of complicity and active engagement.

Audience Reactions

The audience is expected to react to the poignant scenes, clearly brutal injustice, and genuine moments of humour, thereby forming an essential part of the performance.
Audience reactions can range from discomfort at seeing cruel realities displayed to laughter at the satirical moments, and from analytical engagement with the historical content to emotional responses to the plights of the characters.

Performative Techniques

Both Mtwa and Ngema use physical theatre and mime techniques to visually engage the audience and elicit emotional responses.
Storytelling and the minimal use of props can stimulate the audience’s imagination, making them active participants in the creation of the world on stage.
The performers’ use of a variety of dialects and languages, including English, Afrikaans, and Zulu, adds authenticity and stimulates the audience to interpret through context, further fostering a strong connection.

In summary, the dynamic relationship between the performers and audience is a central component of Woza Albert! Through techniques such as direct address, satire, physical theatre and storytelling, the performers establish an intricate link with the audience, inviting them to engage emotionally, intellectually, and ethically with the realities of the Apartheid era.