The Greensman Play at the Green Point Stadium Visitor Centre

Get a glimpse into Green Point's rich soccer heritage with this Green Point Stadium Visitor Centre theatre experience

When the 2010 FIFA World Cup comes to the new Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on 11 June 2010, it will represent a celebratory coming of age for the area, where soccer has been played for centuries.

The Greensman is a one-man multimedia play at the Green Point Stadium Visitor Centre, which you can witness as part of one of the stadium tours offered by the centre.

The play takes an entertaining, insightful and fascinating look at the legacy of soccer in Green Point and looks ahead to the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

In a time when soccer fever is reaching new heights, thanks to the upcoming 2010 Soccer World Cup, it’s important to acknowledge and understand the rich and captivating history of the areas – such as Green Point in Cape Town – where the tournament will be played.

The past shapes the future, and the new Green Point Stadium will be an iconic representation of that transformation.

Understanding the transformation is something that visitors to South Africa may find fascinating, and helping visitors to understand it in a meaningful and inspirational way is what The Greensman sets out to do.

The Greensman is enacted by the endearing and remarkably talented Apollo Ntshoko, and directed by the highly accomplished Rob van Vuuren. It revives and illuminates the soul of the Green Point Common and in so doing stimulates the fast-growing spirit of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

You’ll laugh, you’ll be surprised, you’ll be captivated. Slipping perfectly into his primary role as the greensman, Ntschoko also plays a number of other characters, such as Jan van Riebeck, a bushman and even the angry devil of Devil’s Peak.

Each character (most of whom Ntschoko developed himself) helps to tell the story of the Green Point Common and how soccer here played a major role in bringing together people from all walks of life over the years.

The Greensman reflects on various key elements in Green Point’s history, like the arrival of the British in 1784 and the Anglo Boer War in the early 1900s.

The Cape of Good Hope was once known as the Cape of Storms, Ntshoko’s character notes, reminding us that although the history of the area may have been through some turbulent times (not just the weather!), there is a great hope that the 2010 World Cup will be the ultimate pinnacle of not only commemoration, but also celebration.

Ntschoko, 39, grew up in Langa in Cape Town and has had an adventurous and accomplished ride in the acting and dancing world.

He started out at the Jazzart Dance Theatre Company in Cape Town in the 80s, and from 1995 to 2000 he was with the Theatre for Africa company, which is where he met The Greensman director, Rob van Vuuren.

The two saw eye-to-eye and have worked together in various productions ever since.

Ntshoko has done resident acting stints at Ratanga Junction and Spier Wine Estate, and has been putting on The Greensman at the Green Point Stadium Visitor Centre since November 2007. It runs until late 2009.

To find out about show times for The Greensman and about the various Greenpoint Stadium Tours options, contact the Greenpoint Stadium Visitor Centre.

Green Point Stadium Visitor Centre:

Address: Vlei Road, Greenpoint
Contact no: +27 (0)21 430 0410
Website: www.greenpointstadiumvc.co.za

Molo Says: To understand the subtleties of South Africa’s and Green Point’s past, and be inspired about how they will benefit on so many levels from the 2010 World Cup, seeing The Greensman comes highly recommended.

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