Basil Jones

Basil Jones (b. 1951, Kimberley) is a theatre director, writer, and producer, best known as co-founder, with Adrian Kohler, of the Handspring Puppet Company (1981). Trained in fine art at the University of Cape Town, Jones moved into experimental theatre as a means to explore political and social questions through performance during apartheid South Africa .

Whereas Kohler focused on carving and design, Jones has been central to Handspring’s dramaturgy, writing, and collaborative vision. Together, Jones and Kohler have created a body of work that merges sculpture, text, and performance to investigate themes of human conflict, memory, and reconciliation. Their most celebrated production, War Horse (2007), achieved international acclaim for its emotional and technical innovation in puppetry.

Jones’s intellectual and dramaturgical contributions underpin works such as Dogs of War (ca. 1993–94), now in the Constitutional Court Art Collection. While the physical carving was Kohler’s, the pair’s longstanding collaboration frames the piece as part of their joint creative language, investigating how puppets, as liminal objects, hold symbolic power. In the context of the Court, Dogs of War resonates with South Africa’s transition from apartheid, embodying a warning against the unleashing of destructive energies while affirming art’s role in dialogue and justice .

By situating Dogs of War in the CCAC, Jones and Kohler extend their practice beyond the theatre stage into a civic space of memory and law, affirming the Court’s belief that art can both reflect and shape the democratic imagination.

References

Duggan, P. (2013). Acting and Performance in Moving Spaces: Puppets, Bodies, Performances. London: Palgrave Macmillan. (Accessed 02 February 2026)

Gevisser, M. (2004). Portraits of Power: Profiles in a Changing South Africa. Cape Town: New Africa Books. https://www.markgevisser.com/portraits-of-power-profiles-in-a-new-south-africa (Accessed 02 February 2026)

Jones, B., & Kohler, A. (2011). War Horse: The Making of the National Theatre Production. London: Oberon Books. 2011 War Horse Education Pack:https://images.nationaltheatre.org.uk/uploads/2023/10/2024_War-Horse_Education-Pack.pdf#_gl=1*12ar4et*_gcl_au*MjU4NDAyODQ4LjE3NzAwMzkxOTE.

2024 War Horse Education Pack.https://images.nationaltheatre.org.uk/uploads/2023/10/2011_War-Horse-Education-Pack.pdf#_gl=1*17dy62h*_gcl_au*MjU4NDAyODQ4LjE3NzAwMzkxOTE. (Accessed 02 February 2026)

Kohler, A. and CCAC Team (2025). CCAC Interview with Adrian Kohler 30/05/2025 - transcript. Available at https://ccac.concourttrust.org.za/uploads/files/23-Gallery-Dogs-of-War.mp3 (Accessed 02 February 2026)

Kruger, L. (2007). The Drama of South Africa: Plays, Pageants and Publics since 1910. London: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/The-Drama-of-South-Africa-Plays-Pageants-and-Publics-Since-1910/Kruger/p/book/9780415179836 (Accessed 02 February 2026)