Performer combines humor, activism
By Emily Baraff
Sept. 28, 2009 9:08 p.m.
Nothing says social activism like a half-Jewish, half-Afrikaner, part-time drag queen, openly gay, white, male performing artist. Attempt, to the best of your ability, to let that image sink in for a moment.
This piecemeal, ostensibly incoherent description comes together in Pieter-Dirk Uys, a modern-day exemplar of activism, satire and incredibly innovative performance art. Uys’ one-man show incorporates humor as well as real-life tales of suffering into one outlandishly comprehensive performance that has moved minds and hearts across the globe.
Uys’ newest offering to his eager audiences comes in the form of “Elections and Erections,” coming to Glorya Kaufman Hall on Oct. 3 and 4. The eye-catching title reflects the main themes dealt with in the show ““ democracy and sexuality, two issues that were extremely controversial in South Africa in the ’70s and ’80s, and a reality that Uys dealt with firsthand.
“If you were to combine John Stewart, Chris Rock, Steven Colbert and Eddie Izzard, and then transport them to South Africa, you’d come somewhat close to approaching the magnitude of this man,” said Sharon Gelman, executive director of Artists For a New South Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering democracy and combating AIDS in South Africa.
“There’s an emotional impact in his work that is very unusual. I’ve never really quite seen anything like it before. He is so funny, yet so moving at the exact same time,” Gelman said of Uys’ performance style. “The last time I saw him perform was in L.A. doing a show about HIV/AIDS ““ I went from tears to laughter probably 20 times throughout the night; it was like performance bipolar disorder.”
Gelman has been an anti-apartheid activist since the ’80s and maintains that Uys is a legendary figure in both the worlds of art and activism. Like Gelman, those who have followed him over the years know that he is a genuine activist in the sense that he is in the thick of the issues that he addresses. Uys goes to schools throughout South Africa and talks to kids and teachers about HIV and AIDS, and more specifically works closely with kids in the village of Darling to spread knowledge on the same topic.
Uys began his career in South Africa in the early ’70s, writing politically and socially relevant plays until the government banned their performance due to what was deemed unacceptable content. This was the point at which Uys realized the danger in touching on the subject of the instituted apartheid policy.
“I started doing satirical performances around 1980, using humor as a weapon in discussing topics like HIV and government policy. It was a structure I could put together very quickly ““ I could leave the theater before the police came,” Uys said.
Uys’ performance style encompasses sub-topics under the main themes of HIV and AIDS as well as government issues, all presented from a plethora of self-embodied perspectives. Uys takes stage performance to the next level by switching costume (and character) mid-show multiple times, while still talking to the audience, as if the personality morph accompanying the costume swap were a natural matter of course. His most famous alter ego, Evita Bezuidenhout, is a white Afrikaner socialite and self-proclaimed political activist who never fails to put on a grandiose show of ostentatious clothing and exuberant dialogue for the audience.
“I want to bring a very straight-forward premise to it ““ the idea of using humor to combat fear. (The topic) of HIV is filled with fear, stigma and denial. Using humor to approach these issues allows an audience to confront things that it would normally ignore,” Uys said.
After his two appearances at UCLA, Uys will be holding a workshop for students that will involve the creation of mini-plays and skits revolving around the issues of HIV and democracy. Students involved will learn performance techniques that Uys implements in his shows, having to do with incorporating serious subject matter into a meaningful and entertaining piece.
Harry Weston, a second-year world arts and cultures student, will be among the UCLA students partaking in the workshop and meeting Uys for the first time.
“I feel like I have the same thing going on (as Pieter) ““ he uses art as a way of activism, which is exactly what I want to be able to do,” Weston said. “Learning how to talk about this disease in a way that makes people feel comfortable is an amazing skill that Pieter posses. I have so much respect for this guy already.”
Dubbed a “natural treasure” by Nelson Mandela, seeks to use his art to bring about a mental shift in his audiences that results in tangible social change. It appears we have a revolutionary on our hands.
