Itsoseng is told through the eyes of Mawilla, a young man from the depressed town of Itsoseng who loses the love of his life who he loved since childhood, a pretty girl called Dolly, to prostitution. The couple’s lives are touched at every level by the wretchedness of the environment in which they are forced to live, and Mawilla is left to helplessly watch Dolly’s steady decline as the township he loves withers, first under the rule of the apartheid government, then an inexperienced, apathetic government.

Itsoseng which means ‘wake yourself up’ paints a compelling portrait of a young man who is desperate for change, but does not know how to achieve it.

Before transferring to London’s Soho theatre, Itsoseng played at the Edinburgh Festival, where it was awarded a Scotsman Fringe First. Omphile Molusi’s play has also enjoyed sell-out seasons at South Africa’s Baxter Theatre and Market Theatre.

In 2006, Molusi, who also stars in Itsoseng, was the first recipient of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Brett Goldin Bursary, which offers a young South African the opportunity to travel to Stratford Upon Avon for classical training.

Itsoseng is Molusi’s fourth play, and the first to be staged in London.