WHERE
The Rollins Theater
Long Center for the Performing Arts
701 W Riverside Drive
Austin, Texas 78704
WHEN
November 15, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
November 16, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
TICKETS ON SALE SOON!
MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA!
A costumed, staged reading
Directed by Ann CiccolellA
Austin Shakespeare will stage one of the 20th and 21st Century’s great playwrights, Athol Fugard’s, searing and thought-provoking drama My Children! My Africa! starring celebrated Austin actor Marc Pouhé as “Mr. M”.
“Performing Fugard’s words is both a privilege and a responsibility, ‘My Children! My Africa!’ demands that we confront difficult truths but also holds space for compassion and the possibility of change. It’s a play that asks us to think, to feel, and to remember our shared humanity.”
- Marc Pouhé, Actor
Widely considered one of Fugard’s most enduring works, My Children! My Africa! was first staged in 1989 as apartheid neared its end. The play explores the relationship between Mr. M, his gifted Black student Thami, and Isabel, a white girl from a neighboring school. Their initial bond over a shared love of learning and spirited debate becomes strained as political realities intensify, forcing each to confront questions of identity, loyalty, and the cost of change. Fugard uses the classroom as a crucible, blending the intellectual with the deeply personal to illuminate the urgency of justice in a divided society.
“This is an extraordinarily gripping story by the great South African playwright who cared deeply about individuals and their aspirations. The teenagers are coached by ‘Mr. M,’ who has them join forces to win a literary contest. But their world explodes by the end of the play, and all of them are transformed by the experience.”
- Ann Ciccolella, Director
Athol Fugard, often hailed as South Africa’s greatest playwright, has spent his career chronicling the struggles and resilience of his country under apartheid and beyond. My Children! My Africa! remains one of his most frequently produced plays worldwide because of its timeless themes and deeply human storytelling.
CAST
Marc Pouhé, one of Austin’s most respected actors, takes on the role of Mr. M with characteristic depth and intensity. Known for commanding performances with Austin Shakespeare, Penfold Theatre, and ZACH Theatre, he has appeared in roles ranging from Shakespearean kings to modern-day icons.
New to Austin Shakespeare and joining Pouhé are Nyah Adler as “Isabel” and Omari Crocker as “Thami.” Both Adler and Crocker are seniors and theater majors at Texas State University, bringing youthful passion and academic rigor to these complex roles.
Creative Team
Director: Ann Ciccolella
Resident Lighting Designer: Patrick W. Anthony
Costume Designer: Cecelia Gay
Props Designer: Stephanie Schmidt
Projection Designer: Johann Mahler
Dialect Coach: Amani Dorn