THE GREAT YES, THE GREAT NO

Marseille, 1941: A liner sails for Martinique with artists and intellectuals on board fleeing from Vichy France, including surrealist André Breton, anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, Cuban painter Wifredo Lam, Communist novelist Victor Serge and exiled German author Anna Seghers. 

Conceived in collaboration with award-winning theater maker Phala Ookeditse Phala, and choral conductor and dancer Nhlanhla Mahlangu, The Great Yes, The Great No is part play, part Greek choir, part chamber opera - all interwoven with William Kentridge’s breathtaking surrealist visuals. 

The journey mixes history with fiction, augments reality, and invites other celebrated figures to join this new kind of ark, an allegory of all the forced expeditions of the past and present.

RUNNING TIME: 84 minutes, no intermission.

CREATIVES

ARTISTS

PERFORMERS
Xolisile Bongwana, Hamilton Dhlamini, William Harding, Tony Miyambo, Nancy Nkusi, Luc de Wit

DANCERS
Thulani Chauke, Teresa Phuti Mojela

CHORUS
Anathi Conjwa, Asanda Hanabe, Zandile Hlatshwayo, Khokho Madlala, Nokuthula Magubane, Mapule Moloi, Nomathamsanqa Ngoma

MUSICIANS
Marika Hughes (Cello), Nathan Koci (Accordion | Banjo), Tlale Makhene (Percussion), Thandi Ntuli (Piano)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Produced by THE OFFICE performing arts + film
A project of the Centre for the Less Good Idea
Toured in partnership with Quaternaire

Lead commissioner
LUMA Foundation, Arles FRANCE

Co-Commissioners
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami-Dade County USA with lead sponsor support from Adrienne Arsht
CAL Performances, Berkeley USA
Centre D’art Battat, Montreal CA
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills, USA

Foundational commissioning support for the development and creation of The Great Yes, The Great No is provided by Brown Arts Institute at Brown University, USA

The Great Yes, The Great No acknowledges the kind assistance of Goodman Gallery, Lia Rumma Gallery and Hauser & Wirth in this project, and generous support from The Roy Cockrum Foundation.