The internationally acclaimed stage production Far Gone is set to make its South African debut with a highly anticipated tour that will bring its gripping, thought-provoking story to local audiences. Known for its raw storytelling and powerful performances, Far Gone has captivated theatre lovers across the globe, and now South Africa will experience it first-hand.
The Baxter Theatre in Cape Town will welcome the show from November 11–15, and it moves to Joburg Theatre in Johannesburg from November 19–22 as part of an ambitious new tour spanning four continents.
Written and performed by Ugandan-born actor and writer John Rwothomack, Far Gone tells the heartbreaking story of a young boy’s journey from childhood innocence to life as a forcibly recruited child soldier in Northern Uganda. The one-man show produced by Roots Mbili Theatre from Sheffield, England, a company founded to give a platform to voices and stories often missing from the international stage.
“As an artist, it’s one thing to work internationally. To tour your own work globally feels incredibly special. We are humbled to take this important piece of work across four continents. I hope the heartbreaking story will resonate with South African audiences and those around the world,” said Rwothomack.
Directed by Nigerian theatre-maker Mojisola Kareem and originally co-produced with Sheffield Theatres, Far Gone blends humour, poetry, and physical theatre to explore the devastating impact of child abductions by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which forcibly recruited tens of thousands of children across Central and East Africa.
Rwothomack drew inspiration for the play from his own experience of nearly being kidnapped by the LRA at the age of eight.
The production was met with critical acclaim on its UK tour in 2022, earning five-star reviews. The current international tour began in September with a run at Sheffield Theatres’ Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, followed by performances at The Lowry in Manchester, the Tua-Tiu-Tiann International Arts Festival, Feng Dance International Gala and National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan. It now heads to South Africa, with shows at The Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town and the Joburg Theatre in Johannesburg, before concluding in London and Kansas City, USA next spring.
Founded in 2021 by John Rwothomack, creative producer Sam Holland and digital director Smart Banda, Roots Mbili Theatre is committed to spotlighting stories from Africa and the African diaspora. The company’s most recent work, Lines, completed a tour in 2024 that finished at New York’s La Mama Theatre.
Rwothomack’s motivation is deeply personal, “I made a promise to myself that I would tell this story one day. These guerrilla groups and child kidnappings are still a reality around the world; we have to show that in a truthful way. When I finished training as an actor, I thought the theatre scene was not set up to represent my voice, nor that of many others. So I knew if I wanted to be truly heard, I would have to build a space to do it. At Roots Mbili Theatre, we are dedicated to pinpointing views and stories that are not on the radar of theatre to give them the platform they deserve.”
