Isango Ensemble: Aesop's Fables

Isango came to life in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2000—the creation of director Mark Dornford-May and music director Pauline Malefane, who draw artists from surrounding townships to reimagine the Western theatre canon within a South African setting. Isango brought Krannert Center audiences joyfully to their feet in 2014, and the company returns to the Center with its vibrant and comedic turn on Aesop’s Fables. Based on a brilliant script from playwright Peter Terson, the expressive tale portrays the ancient Greek story of a servant on a journey to Mount Olympus, contextualized in the recent history of South Africa and sung in English, Tswana, and Zulu. Travel with Aesop as he encounters a host of colorful animal characters, such as the tortoise and the hare, and learns the balance of liberty and responsibility in this contemporary, playfully energetic, and beautifully rendered music, theatre, and dance production.

Recommended for ages 5 and up.