S.J. du Toit's "Magrita Prinslo"

The most influential play to come out of Africa from the 19th century.  According to Marisa Keuris, who wrote a paper about the significance of the play, "du Toit’s play lies mainly in the fact that it is considered by most theatre historians to be the first published play in Afrikaans in South Africa (Keuris, pg2)."

“Magrita Prinslo, translates to "Love faithful unto death” by du Toit, is a play in five acts/thirteen scenes, it is considered to be a romantic melodrama that tells the story of two lovers that have been separated by the Great Trek, but they reunite at the end of the play.  This play was the first full length play to be published in Afrikaans.  It was first performed on January 27 and 28, 1897 as part of the Second Afrikaans Language Congress in the Paarl Town Hall.  The cast was made up of 20 delegates to the conference.  It was modernized and re-worked in 1917 by S.P.E. Boshoff called "Magrieta Prinsloo" and it is from this modernized performance that had often been reproduced from.