Athol Fugard has always been a multitalented theatrical artist, often acting in and occasionally directing his own plays. Never before Valley Song, however, did the playwright write so much of his own life into one of his plays, then choose to act two of the parts and direct himself and his co-performer. Valley Song premiered in Johannesburg, South Africa in August, 1995 with Fugard directing and playing the parts of The Author and Abraam Jonkers, and Esmeralda Bihl portraying Veronica Jonkers. Several months later, in October, 1995, the play opened in the U.S. at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. This production, staged in association with the Manhattan Theatre Club, also listed Fugard in the multiple roles of author, director, and actor of two parts, with Lisa Gay Hamilton as Veronica.

Fugard has long been respected by American audiences and critics as an outspoken voice against...