Anzio September, Zubayr Charles and James Stoffberg. Picture: Supplied
Cape Town - A gripping story, of male sexual assault and hook-up culture is brought to life in the brand new thought-provoking production ‘This bra’s a psycho’.
Written by Bo-Kaap based Zubayr Charles, the production tackles the topics most frowned upon when spoken of in the male community.
Charles, a 29-year-old UCT Masters in Creative Writing graduate, aside from writing, has been teaching English at local high schools for the past seven years and boasts a long list of accolades to his name.
Among them are nominations and awards in the Zabalaza Festival this year, his participation in writing workshops under the hand of theatre giants such as David Kramer and writer and professor Imraan Coovadia to name a few.
Additionally, the creative has found success in writing essays, which are published on LitNet.
He hopes to finish his first poetry collection this year, get his novel Haram published and to continue to tell stories, as well as break into South Africa's theatre industry.
In his latest creation that was showcased as a reading at the Artscape and The Suidoosterfees' New Voices programme on Thursday, This bra’s a psycho, tells the story of The Bra who after waking up delirious in an unknown warehouse, has to grapple with the trauma of being sexually assaulted.
He thereafter hopes to build connections with various men on dating apps to make sense of his trauma, but after being triggered, he starts a killing spree.
Little does The Bra know that he is being followed and is the subject of an undercover police investigation.
Charles told the Weekend Argus of what inspired the production.
“The topic of male sexual assault is often presented in mainstream film and media from a comedic perspective.
This feeds into toxic masculinity and sadly does not create an open dialogue for victims to share their stories, as they are afraid that they will be made fun of. I wrote this script to address male sexual assault whilst also tackling the traditional cat-and-mouse thriller genre by adding a local Cape Town twist.”
“When submitting the script for the New Voices programme, I was not confident. Initially, I thought that the panel wouldn't get my idea and think that it was too dark or weird. I had to get out of my own head and trust my instincts. In life we as humans can be our biggest saboteurs.”
“The crime thriller genre has been extremely popular on streaming platforms and in film and media. It is important for us as South Africans to see ourselves represented. We need to push for our own stories to be told. I’m excited for people to see this story.”
Presented as a two-hander, ‘This Bra’s a Psycho’ features an incredible cast of talented actors such as James Stoffberg and Anzio September.
Stoffberg stars in the leading role of The Bra, whereas September plays the policeman and various characters. Because this is a psychological thriller that follows the traditional cat-and-mouse trope, the two-hander works effectively, as The Bra is trying to uncover who has sexually assaulted him, and Policeman is additionally solving the murder cases, and the switch of characters could be interpreted as him going undercover.
Charles concluded: “The production is set to be a gripping and emotional experience that will stay with audiences long after the final scene. We hope our reading proves to be successful and that the play will be officially picked up by both Artscape and The Suidoosterfees in 2025."
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