What People Are Saying
“Corrosive and compassionate in equal measure, this compelling three-hander from Rosalind Butler offers its audiences a blistering indictment of contemporary social more.”
— Beverley Brommert
“It is really worth watching for young and old as everyone will find something to connect with. It is also a fun way in which to cover some of the Life Orientation curriculum.”
— Petrus van der Linde, Fish Hoek High School
“…there are some very cool aspects to the staging, reinforcing a script that amuses in its familiarity as much as it shocks in its reality. All kudos to Rosalind Butler for a play that is very much of our time.”
— Karen Rutter, Weekend Special
“I took my Drama students to see it but we should have taken the whole school. It's slick and engaging, calling adults and teens alike to consider their relationship with social media and with each other.”
— Jane Fisher, International School
“It may just be the year’s most hilarious window onto contemporary life, brought to life by three fine actors.”
— Keith Bain, Daily Maverick
“It shocked us, made us laugh, sparked off a fantastic conversation between parent and teen, gave me goosebumps, moved me to tears, got me questioning my own social media addition, and forced me to answer some uncomfortable questions.”
— Shelley Meskin
“This production is a searing reminder of our current world and reflects on it with razor-sharp wit and intelligence, hilarity and profound truth”
— Sylvaine Strike
“A spectacularly funny documentary with abundant narrative twists, but in the manner that it turns the lens onto real life, right now, unfolding in real time, it often feels almost excruciatingly close to the bone.”
— Keith Bain, Daily Maverick
Seasons
Studio Theatre at The Baxter
7 February - 2 March 2024
The Market Theatre (in association with)
7 March - 31 March 2024
The production had its South African Premiere in Cape Town at the Golden Arrow Studio Theatre at The Baxter on Wednesday 7 February, and ran until 2 March 2024.
It then transferred to The Market Theatre in Johannesburg, and ran from from 7 to 31 March 2024.
Both seasons played to exceptional attendances and gained superb critical responses.
Age advisory: Recommended 14+. Parental Guidance Advised. Use of strong language in parts.
Rosalind Butler’s
Expelled
Directed by Craig Freimond
Expelled is a play about social media’s power to connect and its power to destroy. Can a few minutes of bad judgment ruin a life?
Expelled is a family drama, darkly comedic at times, which focuses on the largely ungoverned world of social media. Alex, a Matric pupil at an elite school, gets caught up in a viral scandal and is suspended. Once shared, lives alter in seconds, what’s seen cannot be unseen. The ramifications for his family are profound.
Written by Rosalind Butler, Expelled was created out of How Now Brown Cow’s script development program, The Writers’ Collective during lockdown in 2020. Directed by Craig Freimond, the cast features Charmaine Weir-Smith and Antony Coleman alongside Nicolas Hattingh. Designs for the production are by Kieran McGregor and Daniel Rutland Manners.
“The topicality of Expelled immediately appealed to How Now Brown Cow and we are proud to have nurtured it’s development through The Writers’ Collective,” says Julie-Anne McDowell, founder of and producer at How Now Brown Cow. “It is a pertinent play for our social media obsessed world, and we believe it’s critical impact will resonate loudly for years to come. We all need to witness this valuable story.”
Charmaine Weir-Smith | Lou
Antony Coleman | Rich
Nicolas Hattingh | Alex
Graham Hopkins | Headmaster Moore
Amelia Smith | Cas
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Production Design (Set, Lighting, Costume, Video Concept) | Kieran McGregor
Video Content Design | Daniel Rutland Manners
Photography | Brett Rubin & Daniel Rutland Manners
Stage Manager | Loren Nel
Filming and Editing | Keaton Ditchfield of Ditchfield Productions
Set Construction | Gerhard Morkel
Cape Town Publicity | Christine Skinner
Johannesburg Publicity | Collett Dawson
Social Media Management for HNBC | Alyssa Harrison
Choir in recordings | St David’s Marist Inanda
Choral Director | Jaco Ferreira | Head of Music | Ceri Moelwyn-Hughes
