Print Room Productions

Poignant testimonies that once formed part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings are given by characters played by Handspring's puppets, and this metaphorical tale of marital betrayal affords glimpses into the devastating complexities of apartheid.

With its dark and sardonic wit, Ubu and the Truth Commission combines puppetry, live performance, music, animation and documentary footage. The play draws on both the historical archive of the hearings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and on Ubu Roi, the licentious buffoon created in 1888 by the youthful French playwright, Alfred Jarry. Pa Ubu represents instruments of Apartheid violence as policemen, assassins, spies and politicians for whom torture, murder, sex and food are all variations of a single gross appetite.