Cape Town's Magnet Theatre has been a force in South African theatre for three decades, a crucial space for theatre, education, performance and community throughout a turbulent period in South African history. Offering a dialogue between internal and external perspectives, as well as perspectives from performers, artists and scholars, this book analyses Magnet's many productions and presents a rich compendium of the work of one of the most vital physical theatre companies in Africa.

Sunnyside Sal is the story of an unusual friendship between two boys growing up in Pretoria, South Africa.

It's a jauntily narrated memoir set in the tumultuous early 1990s, when a whole generation was discovering that everything they'd been taught to believe was wrong. Fuelled by his reckless bravado and post-punk philosophy, Sal plunges into extreme situations, but his innocent experimentations in rebellion lead him increasingly into hazardous realms.

Although ultimately a tragic tale, Sunnyside Sal is borne up throughout by an exuberant humor.

Die Oog is ’n bonatuurlike riller gemeng met ’n goeie dosis tongin-die-kies humor, ’n tikkie geskiedenis, ’n titseltjie romanse, ’n knippie filosofie en ’n sterk geur van misterie … ’n donker avontuurverhaal vol goedige, doodernstige draakstekery.

Alles is nie pluis in Donkerstroom nie. Die inwoners van hierdie afgesonderde dorpie se daaglikse lewe word gekenmerk deur bygeloof en sinistere rituele wat ontstaan het met ’n gelofte wat ’n groep verhongerde trekkers toentertyd gemaak het. En nou woel die hele dorp in die greep van iets wat onder in Donkerstroom se water ronddraai.

Die onderliggende spanning in die gemeenskap word op ’n spits gedryf en dinge begin roer in die verlore vallei wanneer ’n waterinspekteur uit Johannesburg tydens ’n fratsongeluk vermis raak. Sy kollega, Stefan die wetenskaplike, sou eerder graag wou vlug. Zadie, sy vuurvreter van ’n assistent, se aspirasies om ondersoekende joernalis te speel, kry egter die oorhand. Of miskien is dit die wulpse Ismérie en die melankoliese Lorelei wat Stefan se gewone koelkop besluitneming beduiwel terwyl hulle al dieper in ’n spiraal van geweld ingetrek word …

The same poet who observes that “everybody is a bridge/’’ then asks in Zen-fashion, “Is it me, or is it you?/ are you reflection or projection / or the light that’s shining through?’’ can also note in a very down-to-earth way, that “If we hadn’t robbed the car washers of their coin/they might not have turned so mean, you know? / Let them earn a little income, bra/ If we’d chiselled our hearts open, tried to see it from the middle/we’d have softened just a little.”

And so, while keeping the big picture of the difficulties before us unflinchingly, Anton imbues such philosophical and political statements with images of very real people and their struggle for survival. But this is one aspect of his writing.

As importantly, through these ‘poems, prose- poems, notes & fragments’, runs a whimsical sense of his youth and later years as a white South African whose numerous relatives and friends make their appearance in the form of anecdotal history turned into poetic narrative.

In this way, the collection is varied, and very personal and true to Anton’s past and present, a very satisfying buffet that offers a unique taste of his Buddhistic soul.

Tilling the Hard Soil takes readers on a journey out of their comfort zones and into the lives of ordinary people living with extraordinary challenges. These are people with disabilities who hail from a wide diversity of backgrounds and life experiences. Some were born disabled; some became disabled in later life. All of them share one desire: to be recognized as human beings first and disabled people second. In this frank, provocative, humorous, and moving collection, they give voice to their difference in a variety of creative ways. Their stories, poetry, and art will challenge various perceptions of disability and will point to the complex workings of our human community. This is a collection that dares to dream, not of standing out, but of being the same. The contributors to Tilling the Hard Soil have agreed that all royalties from this book will be donated to the Open Air School, in Durban, South Africa, to further its sterling work with disabled learners, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Despite the extreme challenges that the majority of these children face, the supportive environment and dedicated staff of the Open Air School enables them to reach their full potential in every way.