The Bacchanals are dedicated to exploring text-based theatre, redefining the classics and presenting the best new and international works. They firmly believe there is no room left in the world for plays with nothing to say. The Bacchanals are proud to present the New Zealand premiere of Antony Sher's play I.D. a historical fable, a tragi-comic portrait of the mad, bad old South Africa and of two individuals, the Prime Minister and his killer, both searching for the same thing - identity.
The Bacchanals are dedicated to exploring text-based theatre, redefining the classics and presenting the best new and international works. They firmly believe there is no room left in the world for plays with nothing to say. The Bacchanals are proud to present the New Zealand premiere of Antony Sher's play I.D. a historical fable, a tragi-comic portrait of the mad, bad old South Africa and of two individuals, the Prime Minister and his killer, both searching for the same thing - identity.
It takes two to tango. Prime Minister and assassin. Corpse and culprit. Man and tapeworm. On 6 September 1966 in the South African House of Assembly, Demetrios Tsafendas, a parliamentary messenger, walked up to Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the Architect of Apartheid, and stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife. Was Tsafendas a heroic political assassin or merely a mad man, driven insane by the tapeworm that lived in his belly?

Teh Bacchanals believe theatre should not be stagnant and boring. Amongst their many successes are the world premiere of Paul Rothwell's Hate Crimes ("quite simply, brilliant" - The Package); a national tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream (" honestly one of the funniest productions I've ever seen" - Capital Times) and the NZ premiere of Sarah Kane's Crave ("my god, it's beautiful" - The Package).

Director David Lawrence leads a fantastic cast featuring Malcolm Murray as Tsafendas, Benjamin Fransham as Verwoerd and Alex Grieg as a giant tapeworm with James Stewart, Erin Banks, Miria George, Tony Hopkins, Hadleigh Walker and Salesi Le'ota.

I.D. is a reminder that in the current world political climate, history has a habit of repeating itself -

"A rich, intense, powerful play that scrutinises the former South African apartheid system and reveals the perverse moral madness it represented" - London Theatre Guide

"Moving and uncomfortably comic" - Mail and Guardian

"A compelling portrait both of a complex character and a crazed nation" - The Guardian

Assassination. A word you can taste hey? As-sas-si-nation. A tasty word for a tasty deed. Ass-as-sin-ation. Hear the ass in there and also the sin. Ass-a-sin-nation. Who is the ass, who does the sin and what about the nation?

The Bacchanals present:
I.D. by Antony Sher
Inspired by the book A Mouthful of Glass by Henk van Woerden

Directed by David Lawrence

Tuesday 4 - Saturday 15 October, 7pm
BATS Theatre
04 802 4175 / book@bats.co.nz

For more information please contact:
Sonal Patel
M: 027 626 8490
E: sonalj@actrix.co.nz
www.thebacchanals.net