Portrait, still-life, landscape

Paydirt
Johannesburg, Joburg, Jozi, Egoli, Gangster's Paradise – the city of many names is alternately a place of promise, and a place of terror for generations of people who follow its call. Is there a 'story of Johannesburg'? Can any city so diverse hold within its belly common themes or experiences?

Histories of the city have traditionally featured archetypal stories of gold diggers, migrant labourers and randlords – macho tales of heroism and frontier outlaws who penetrate the earth's surface in search of elusive lucre. 'Paydirt' was the term used to describe the newly discovered wealth locked in the rocks around Langlaagte farm. Today, fortunes are more likely to be made and lost through violent crime than through sifting dust for gold.

Jostling through story junctions and high rise dramas, this multi-media, melting media, physical theatre piece unpacks what it means to be a member of the metropole. Three distinct departure points are used to map the Jozi experience – portrait, still-life and landscape.

Paydirt's creators mine the shadows behind the stories of some of Joburg's notorious figures from history – from gold diggers to gangleaders - real and imagined, notorious and anonymous. Their lives form intersections with those of countless migrants, cash diggers, gardeners and hustlers. High finance brokers navigate traffic next to broke, high traffickers. Economic refugees from the north bump shoulders with the ghosts of their gold digging ancestors, while a new generation seeks to rise above the skyline. They all face the same unspoken challenge – will the city swallow them?