Tshepang – The Third Testament | Study Guide
TSHEPANG
The Third Testament
by Lara Foot
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
Drama and Film Studies
University of Pretoria / Grade 12 Dramatic Arts
Key Facts at a Glance
• Playwright: Lara Foot (Duckrabbit Theatre Company, with Gerhard Marx)
• Written: 2005 | Based on: True story of Baby Tshepang (2001)
• Setting: Isolated community outside Louisvaleweg, Northern Cape, SA
• Characters on stage: Simon (narrator) and Ruth (silent)
• Form: One long monologue with symbolic physical action
• Core styles: Postmodern · Poor Theatre · Epic · Protest · African Storytelling
• Central concern: Cycle of abuse, poverty, and hope in post-apartheid SA
This guide consolidates context, analysis, themes, staging, symbolism,
and exam-style guidance for thorough preparation.
Page 1
,Tshepang – The Third Testament | Study Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Play Overview & Synopsis
2. Context & Influences
3. Significance of the Title
4. Playwright’s Philosophy, Intention & Process
5. Genre, Style & Related Theatre Movements
6. Structure & Dramatic Action
7. Characters
8. Themes
9. Symbolism & Motifs
10. Language & Narrative Technique
11. Staging & Production Elements
12. Audience Response & Function of Theatre
13. Key Quotations
14. Exam Preparation & Sample Responses
15. Glossary of Key Theatre Terms
Page 2
, Tshepang – The Third Testament | Study Guide
1. PLAY OVERVIEW & SYNOPSIS
Tshepang: The Third Testament is a one-act play by South African playwright Lara Foot. It is a powerful, minimalist
work that responds to the real-life rape of a nine-month-old baby (known as Baby Tshepang) in a remote Northern
Cape community in 2001. Rather than sensationalising the crime, the play uses storytelling, symbolism and
physical theatre to examine the social conditions that allowed such horror to occur — and the possibility of healing
and responsibility.
On stage there are only two performers: Simon, who narrates the story directly to the audience, and Ruth, the
mother of the violated child, who remains almost entirely silent, rubbing salt into an animal hide for the duration of
the play. Through Simon’s monologue we meet a community trapped by poverty, alcoholism (rooted in the
historical dop system), unemployment, and a cycle of abuse that stretches across generations.
Central Dramatic Action
• Ruth rubs salt into animal hide; she does not speak until the final word of the play.
• Simon speaks directly to the audience (breaking the fourth wall), telling the story of the community, the events
leading to the rape, and the aftermath.
• The play ends with Ruth’s single spoken word: “Tshepang” — meaning hope / salvation.
The production is designed for an open or thrust stage, with a highly symbolic, minimal set created by Gerhard
Marx. Props (beds, broom, bread, salt, nativity figures, miniature village) carry multiple layers of meaning and are
never merely decorative.
Page 3
TSHEPANG
The Third Testament
by Lara Foot
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
Drama and Film Studies
University of Pretoria / Grade 12 Dramatic Arts
Key Facts at a Glance
• Playwright: Lara Foot (Duckrabbit Theatre Company, with Gerhard Marx)
• Written: 2005 | Based on: True story of Baby Tshepang (2001)
• Setting: Isolated community outside Louisvaleweg, Northern Cape, SA
• Characters on stage: Simon (narrator) and Ruth (silent)
• Form: One long monologue with symbolic physical action
• Core styles: Postmodern · Poor Theatre · Epic · Protest · African Storytelling
• Central concern: Cycle of abuse, poverty, and hope in post-apartheid SA
This guide consolidates context, analysis, themes, staging, symbolism,
and exam-style guidance for thorough preparation.
Page 1
,Tshepang – The Third Testament | Study Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Play Overview & Synopsis
2. Context & Influences
3. Significance of the Title
4. Playwright’s Philosophy, Intention & Process
5. Genre, Style & Related Theatre Movements
6. Structure & Dramatic Action
7. Characters
8. Themes
9. Symbolism & Motifs
10. Language & Narrative Technique
11. Staging & Production Elements
12. Audience Response & Function of Theatre
13. Key Quotations
14. Exam Preparation & Sample Responses
15. Glossary of Key Theatre Terms
Page 2
, Tshepang – The Third Testament | Study Guide
1. PLAY OVERVIEW & SYNOPSIS
Tshepang: The Third Testament is a one-act play by South African playwright Lara Foot. It is a powerful, minimalist
work that responds to the real-life rape of a nine-month-old baby (known as Baby Tshepang) in a remote Northern
Cape community in 2001. Rather than sensationalising the crime, the play uses storytelling, symbolism and
physical theatre to examine the social conditions that allowed such horror to occur — and the possibility of healing
and responsibility.
On stage there are only two performers: Simon, who narrates the story directly to the audience, and Ruth, the
mother of the violated child, who remains almost entirely silent, rubbing salt into an animal hide for the duration of
the play. Through Simon’s monologue we meet a community trapped by poverty, alcoholism (rooted in the
historical dop system), unemployment, and a cycle of abuse that stretches across generations.
Central Dramatic Action
• Ruth rubs salt into animal hide; she does not speak until the final word of the play.
• Simon speaks directly to the audience (breaking the fourth wall), telling the story of the community, the events
leading to the rape, and the aftermath.
• The play ends with Ruth’s single spoken word: “Tshepang” — meaning hope / salvation.
The production is designed for an open or thrust stage, with a highly symbolic, minimal set created by Gerhard
Marx. Props (beds, broom, bread, salt, nativity figures, miniature village) carry multiple layers of meaning and are
never merely decorative.
Page 3
