October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month, this month sees various programmes and activities being hosted to educate and support those living with and affected by the illness.
Tying in with the theme, actress Shannon Esra tackles the award-winning one-woman play, My Left Breast, at the Baxter Masambe Theatre in October from 10 to 24.
The internationally acclaimed one-woman play, starring Esra, follows three highly successful runs at Theatre on the Square, The Mkwanazi Theatre at Kingsmead College and RedFest (Redhill Arts Festival) in Johannesburg.
Directed by Janet Baylis, with lighting and sound by Barry Strydom, My Left Breast, written by Obie Award-winning author, Susan Miller, is a beautiful, funny, and poignant story of a gay mother who is dealing with a recent heartbreak and her recovery from breast cancer. This powerful piece is about love, healing, womanhood, motherhood and transformation.
The show’s ruthless honesty mixes with gentle humour while also allowing the audience to dig deep into a place of pain, suffering, reforming, and rebirth as the character journeys.
The Weekend Argus caught up with Esra who described Susan, the character she plays.
“Susan is a woman of tremendous resilience and intellect; she’s a deep thinker; a talented writer, a mother, a survivor, and on the brink of rediscovering herself after a break-up. It’s not very often you get to inhabit a real-life person’s journey. Bringing her to life requires a presence of mind and an absence of self. While it is not my lived experience, it is my job to immerse myself in the truth she so generously tells. I need only lean into the beautiful script and story she weaves, and stay true to her and her experience.”
Esra who graduated with a Bachelor degree in Dramatic Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand debut in her first professional theatre production in Dorothy Ann Gould’s 2004 theatre production Japes, which earned her the Naledi Award for Best Performance by a Newcomer/Breakthrough (Female), as well as a Fleur du Cup nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
She starred alongside an all-star cast in MNET’s Still Breathing and in 2021, she made unprecedented South African television history with her character Sandra Stein, who has crossed over between five local hit telenovellas, The Queen, The River, The Throne, Gomora and MNET’s Legacy.
Most will remember her for her headline role in MNET’s hit show Lioness. Her portrayal of Samantha Hugo (Lioness) earned her a SAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a TV Drama.
Her list of accolades boasts a weight as she recalls having performed an excerpt from My Left Breast in her first year of drama school for a performance programme in 2000.
Director Baylis said: “Many won't know this, but I was Shannon's high school drama teacher. I saw Shannon perform a 20-minute excerpt of the play in her first year at Wits, which was in 2000, and I have watched her career over the years.
“Truthfully, it's not every day that someone walks into your life 27 years ago and reminds you of why you love what you do, who's a consummate professional and brings their A-game to every rehearsal.
“it was a no-brainer. I sent her a message one day, in late September of 2023, suggesting that I thought she was now the appropriate age to perform this show in its full capacity, and when she jumped at the opportunity without the slightest hesitation, we just met up for some fun. I don't think either of us knew it would take off the way that it has.”
And the rest as they say ‘is history’ .
Esra takes the audience on a trip down memory lane as she remembers her teething phase of theatre.
“I grew up in a home with a voracious love for storytelling and cinema. I have very early memories of my mother taking me and my brother to children’s theatre; spending weekends camping with our grandparents telling stories around a fire - both of my grandparents were highly skilled raconteurs; I was always involved in plays throughout school - It was such an intrinsic part of my life.
“I realised I had a talent for acting when all the grown-ups around me started to pay a little more attention to me and started to encourage me and my love for it. I just knew I loved playing pretend, as most children do, but it seemed to grow and deepen in me the older I became.”
When not on stage, she enjoys the leisure of nature and the endless amount of creativity.
“I am constantly creating, I write, I paint, I also have my own production company and have two television shows I have in development, and hope to get made soon.
“In my spare time, I walk, a lot!, I can average around 200km per month, it’s not just an exercise/fitness regime, it’s in large part a meditation. My time on the road brings me a great amount of solace and peace. I read, I listen to music, I watch a fortune of films and television; I love spending time with friends and family. I enjoy being able to do whatever I feel for at the moment and I count myself incredibly lucky that I get the time to do that.”
My Left Breast runs at the Baxter Theatre at 7pm with Saturday matinees at 3pm and booking is through Webtickets and range from R150 to R190.