📚 Eclipsed by Sylvaine Strike – Study Guide by Miss
Mchunu
🔍 1. Introduction to the Play
Title: Eclipsed
Playwright/Director: Sylvaine Strike
Genre: Physical Theatre, Dark Comedy, Drama
Language: English (with some multilingual expressions)
Setting: South African prison for women during apartheid
First Performed: 2005 at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown
🌍 2. Historical and Social Context
Apartheid South Africa: The play is set during apartheid, a system of racial
segregation enforced by law from 1948 to the early 1990s. Black South Africans were
stripped of their basic human rights.
Prison system: Many political activists (especially women) were arrested and
imprisoned for resisting apartheid.
Women’s Resistance: The play highlights the often-ignored role of women in the
struggle and the psychological effects of political incarceration.
🧵 3. Synopsis / Plot Summary
Eclipsed takes place in a single cell in a women’s prison. It follows five female prisoners –
each from a different background – who are forced to share a confined space. As the story
unfolds, we learn their personal histories and political reasons for imprisonment. Through a
blend of dark humor and physical theatre, the play exposes the brutal reality of their captivity,
their internal conflicts, and their desperate longing for freedom – both literal and spiritual.
, The play is structured episodically, with a focus on character-driven scenes, ritual, and
stylised sequences.
🎭 4. Character Breakdown
Character Description
Mysterious, symbolic figure who maintains the space; her silence is
The Cleaner powerful, offering contrast and reflecting the dehumanizing silence
(Silent Role) imposed by the prison system.
Strong, militant, politically motivated; resents apathy and
Rita submission. Represents radical resistance.
Religious, maternal, clings to faith; represents endurance and
Miriam hope.
Dudu Disillusioned former activist; intelligent, weary, philosophical.
Young Girl Innocent, vulnerable; imprisoned for petty theft; represents youth
(Thoko) and the collateral damage of the system.
Afrikaans-speaking warder turned prisoner; complex identity and
Magda conflict between privilege and guilt.
🎭 5. Themes and Motifs
1. Imprisonment vs. Freedom
Physical, emotional, and ideological imprisonment.
2. Sisterhood and Solidarity
Forced intimacy leads to conflict and eventual bonding.
3. Silence and Voice
Some characters speak loudly; others (like The Cleaner) never speak.
4. Identity and Resistance
Struggle to maintain personal identity in a dehumanizing system.
Mchunu
🔍 1. Introduction to the Play
Title: Eclipsed
Playwright/Director: Sylvaine Strike
Genre: Physical Theatre, Dark Comedy, Drama
Language: English (with some multilingual expressions)
Setting: South African prison for women during apartheid
First Performed: 2005 at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown
🌍 2. Historical and Social Context
Apartheid South Africa: The play is set during apartheid, a system of racial
segregation enforced by law from 1948 to the early 1990s. Black South Africans were
stripped of their basic human rights.
Prison system: Many political activists (especially women) were arrested and
imprisoned for resisting apartheid.
Women’s Resistance: The play highlights the often-ignored role of women in the
struggle and the psychological effects of political incarceration.
🧵 3. Synopsis / Plot Summary
Eclipsed takes place in a single cell in a women’s prison. It follows five female prisoners –
each from a different background – who are forced to share a confined space. As the story
unfolds, we learn their personal histories and political reasons for imprisonment. Through a
blend of dark humor and physical theatre, the play exposes the brutal reality of their captivity,
their internal conflicts, and their desperate longing for freedom – both literal and spiritual.
, The play is structured episodically, with a focus on character-driven scenes, ritual, and
stylised sequences.
🎭 4. Character Breakdown
Character Description
Mysterious, symbolic figure who maintains the space; her silence is
The Cleaner powerful, offering contrast and reflecting the dehumanizing silence
(Silent Role) imposed by the prison system.
Strong, militant, politically motivated; resents apathy and
Rita submission. Represents radical resistance.
Religious, maternal, clings to faith; represents endurance and
Miriam hope.
Dudu Disillusioned former activist; intelligent, weary, philosophical.
Young Girl Innocent, vulnerable; imprisoned for petty theft; represents youth
(Thoko) and the collateral damage of the system.
Afrikaans-speaking warder turned prisoner; complex identity and
Magda conflict between privilege and guilt.
🎭 5. Themes and Motifs
1. Imprisonment vs. Freedom
Physical, emotional, and ideological imprisonment.
2. Sisterhood and Solidarity
Forced intimacy leads to conflict and eventual bonding.
3. Silence and Voice
Some characters speak loudly; others (like The Cleaner) never speak.
4. Identity and Resistance
Struggle to maintain personal identity in a dehumanizing system.
