The Train Driver

by Athol Fugard

The Train Driver is produced by the Market Theatre,

with support from DALRO and the Department of Arts and Culture

Poster Design

"Athol Fugard’s inspiration came from a horrific story about a black woman who, clutching her three children, killed herself and them by stepping in front of a train in South Africa’s Cape Flats. Dramatically, however, the focus is on the traumatised Afrikaaner train-driver, Roelf, who feels morally responsible for a similar suicide. So he goes to a desolate squatter camp, where the nameless dead are buried, to seek the grave of the woman who threw herself on to the tracks. His sole companion is a poor black gravedigger, Simon, whose shack he shares and to whom he unburdens his troubled conscience.

Roelf, who is endangering his life by his action, represents the death-wish of a whole generation, including white liberals, who have neither understood nor alleviated the plight of South Africa’s urban poor. But what is startling is Roelf’s lack of curiosity about Simon, whose spartan existence he witnesses.

The Train Driver is performed by Dr John Kani and Dawid Minaar. The production is directed by Charmaine Weir-Smith"

Market Theatre Foundation. 2018, 'The Train Driver'. Market Buzz (Vol. 2 No. 17). 19 March, pp. 36.

Instagram Image

The poster for The Train Driver takes on a flat design, following design trends of the past few years and creating a unique look and feel for the Athol@86 season at the Market Theatre. The design for the Athol@86 season makes use of a deep red and deep blue, with The Train Driver using blue as the background colour and red as a feature colour in the design. The design takes inspiration from the story itself, depicting a woman standing infront of a train, with the light beams creating depth in the flat design.