Seatavern

Ben Voss presents Becoming Benno: Know someone immigrating? This one’s for you.Having been nominated as one of the five top theatre shows at this year’s Adelaide International Arts Festival in Australia (the second biggest arts festival in the world), Ben Voss will bring Becoming Benno to the Western Cape.Becoming BennoAt Sydney Airport, with his wife and child waiting anxiously at arrivals, Ben is detained by immigration due to an issue with his Permanent Residency Visa. What was to be his first hour as an Australian becomes an hour of uncertainty…As Ben oscillates between confidence that he’ll be admitted and panic at the possibility of rejection, he reflects on the challenges of moving countries. Armed with his 7kg hand luggage and a copy of Qantas Spirit of Australia magazine, he delves into themes of identity, family, and belonging, with humour and heartfelt insight.At the centre of his musings lies a question: Is he running from South Africa or towards Australia?While waiting, Ben encounters Mr. Brody, a meticulous Border Security officer; Arisha, a Mumbai resident visiting her Australian grandchild and Jared, a British cleaner.Ben Voss shared: “I have residency in both South Africa and Australia and wanted to create a funny, heartfelt piece to unpack the gamut of emotions that flooded me when I opened myself up to the possibility of immigration. What better setting than a Border Force interrogation room—a no-man’s-land between two countries? The audience will be on the edge of their seats, wondering if this guy will stumble at the final hurdle and lose the future he’s sacrificed so much for.“With a cracking script, irrepressible performance, and cast of diverse characters brought to life by a single performer, Becoming Benno tells the story of a man reinventing himself and finding hope—and humour—in his journey Down Under.Becoming Benno is directed by Michael Richard with best-selling playwright and novelist John van de Ruit as dramaturge.For further information, contact Ben Voss at ben@benvoss.co.za