Category: Art

Interviews and features

THREE ARTISTS WORKING IN DIFFERENT MEDIUMS COME TOGETHER FOR AN EXHIBITION AS THEIR ART TELLS STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION AND CHANGE

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Verskuif/Shift  is an exhibition presented by three women artists dealing with the theme of the seen and the unseen, a journey of transformation, and the process/es in between. DIANE DE BEER spoke to the artistic trio about their diverse art and how they came together to show their art:

Three artists in cahoots: Magdel van Rooyen (left), Thania Louw (centre) Martli Jansen van Rensburg (right)

Thania Louw, Magdel van Rooyen and Martli Jansen van Rensburg all work in different media and it while their art has many commonalities, that’s not what brought them together.

It was the children! They all go to the same school and that’s how the three moms met. Go figure.

However, when you sit around the table with these three artists, what they have in common is the way they approach their art. In their own individual way, they’re telling stories. That’s what all artists do.

While their techniques differ, the common theme is transformation and change. It may be change in the physical body or the internal landscape, or an individual, unique way, each one explores the ideas of intangible internal shifts and how they experience these changes.

These might of course result in relational shifts which might not be immediately noticed or visible, but eventually a sense of movement will result in the awareness of change.

Martli is a glass artist but when you look at her work, you  might not immediately be aware that the whole piece is made of glass. For her it’s about scratching around in herself which eventually is given substance in her work. “I’m usually trying to figure out something in myself,” she says. Her work manifests her spiritual journey. “It really is all about my beliefs.”

Memorial of Remembrance by Martli Jansen Van Rensburg
Hidden by Martli Jansen Van Rensburg

It might appear as if nothing is happening in her world and as if her ideas are stagnant at some stages, but she sees it as a time of growth while the seeds are dormant until they’re ready to burst forth. Works have titles like Memorial of Remembrance and Rocks of Forgiveness which point the way to her thought processes.

“Our work has to signal possibility, to shift minds,” she says.

Magdel, the painter in the group, is obsessed with construction. Her genre is landscapes and she continually seem to round back to the liminal. She describes her work as moving in-between building up and breaking down.

“Once I have an idea, I chase it down,” she says. While she is a strong believer in hope, she also knows that hope is messy. “Everything is always something of a construction site,” she says. And when you see her work, it all starts making sense.

It almost seems as if she views the world as anything that goes up, must also come down. And in essence that’s true and what she captures in her work.  It could almost describe the process of construction followed by collapse.

Bound(less) III by Magdel van Rooyen,
(un)Bound I by Magdel van Rooyen

She plays with words when forming her ideas and discusses the dexterity of concepts like un(bound) which in a sense she believes sets you free and leaves you bound(less) – also the title of her two pictured works. It could also mean that you’re going, or even that you’re intending to go.

Tension is what allows her to play on canvas. We live in tension, it’s inevitable and drives the work. “In fact, we probably thrive on that tension,” says Magdel.

Thania, the photographer in the group is busy investigating emotions, thoughts, behaviour and interaction with her camera as she explores the connections between the conscious and unconscious exhibited in the body. While these are all invisible, she’s interested in how they are experienced from within and communicated to others. Is there a connection?

Questions are part of her investigation, but her story will probably be read differently by those who look at her works of art from a different perspective.

Clockwise: In Bloom; The Vertruvian Woman; and Fragmented by Thania Louw.

It’s how others see you, whether you are influenced by their perspective and whether your body also adopts some of the emotions cast your way?

What does the perfect woman look like? How does she see herself? How does she cope with the storms erupting on the inside?

“What does the world expect from me,” she asks? “Do we fight it or can we find inner peace.”

She  has also discovered that beauty can be found in imperfection. “All these things happen in cyclical fashion,” she says as she keeps her camera pointed in a way that might capture the story she hopes to tell.

For these three women, life is a progression and that’s why, even when they tackle dark subjects, they hope their work is always filled with light. No one wants a study of pain in their face all the time, they concur.

The quest is to explore those emotions and then to show your stories to the world in the way the pictures you make demand. This is how they hope their work will prompt viewers to look and discover their own stories.

Verkuif/Shift will be opened by Prof Jenni Lauwrens on August 27 at 6pm at the University of Pretoria @ Link Gallery. Email @ https://louw.co.uk/verskuifshift.html

RSVP for opening by this Sunday. The exhibition is open until Friday, September 6. Entrance Lynnwood Rd, UP main gate. The gallery is open for viewing Tuesday – Friday from 9 – 3 pm. Safe parking available on premises in front of the building.

ARTIST BIOS:
THANIA LOUW She (born in 1984) is a versatile artist and photographer. With a BA Hons in Textile Design from the University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins, where she graduated with distinction, Louw quickly gained acclaim for her work, earning nominations as one of Britain’s top 100 students and participating in prestigious exhibitions such as the 2010 New Designers exhibition in London and Heimtextil in Germany. In 2010 Louw was selected as a student researcher at Central Saint Martins. This led to an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.  Returning to her native South Africa in 2013, Louw shifted her focus to museology and photography. In 2020, Louw furthered her commitment to the field by completing a BSocSciHons in Heritage, Museum, and Preservation Studies at UP, graduating with distinction. She has been commissioned by prominent private collectors, universities, and museums worldwide to photograph their art collections.  Her work has been featured in numerous publications, scholarly articles, and academic papers. She is currently a board member of the International Council of Museums South Africa (ICOM). MAGDEL VAN ROOYEN Magdel van Rooyen (ne Fourie born in 1983) is a process-oriented artist situated in Pretoria. She completed her BA (Fine Arts) degree at UP in 2006 and then her MA (Fine Arts) in 2012. Since 2007 van Rooyen has been teaching part-time at UP in the Fine Arts division, lecturing in different subjects including, painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. In 2010 she was selected for the Art-St-Urban residency based in Switzerland and in 2013 she formed part of the Art-St-Urban exhibition at the Selected Art fair Basel. She was also selected for the R5 Residency with Nagel University in 2013, the residency culminated in a travelling group exhibition Between the Shadow and the Light. The exhibition travelled to various universities in North America from 2014-2018. Van Rooyen has taken part in various group shows in and around Pretoria including at the Pretoria Art Museum and Arts Association of Pretoria. Her work is part of UP’s Collection. MARTLI JANSEN VAN RENSBURG Jansen van Rensburg (born 1977, Pretoria) is an artist, lecturer, and master glassblower. In 2000 she finished her B. Tech Degree at Tshwane University of Technology, where she majored in glass sculpture. From 2000 -2004 she worked and trained at glass studios in the UK, and Germany and did a glass art residency in Scotland. In 2007 she received a scholarship to study glass design in Sweden. While lecturing part-time at TUT, she runs Smelt Glass Studio, with Mike Hyam. Her work has been exhibited internationally at Scotland North Lands Creative, the Museum of African Design, and many more. Her work is part of the permanent collection in Absa Bank, Wits Origin Centre, SAB breweries, and Absa Capital.

ANDREW BUCKLAND RETURNS IN THE CLASSIC UGLY NOO NOO TO JOBURG’S MARKET THEATRE

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DIANE DE BEER REVIEWS:

THE UGLY NOO NOO

DIRECTOR: Janet Buckland

PERFORMER/WRITER: Andrew Buckland

VENUE: Mannie Manim Theatre at the Market

DATES: Until September 1

Pictures: Ruphin Coudyzer

What a delight to revisit Andrew Buckland’s The Ugly Noo Noo, which was written and performed for the first time in 1988.

That feels like a lifetime ago and it’s not often that we get the chance to revisit these classics of local theatre that travelled the world and won accolades all round.

They cleverly kicked off with The Making Of, presented as part of performance lectures and demonstrations at SO|The Academy for the Less Good Idea in Johannesburg with Buckland giving audiences (those who had seen it before and those going for the first time) insight into the development of his signature style. For him, the play was a response to the political and social context of apartheid South Africa in the late 1980s. For the audience, the talk was a chance to get closer to the thinking and strategies of this astonishing South African theatre maker.

Athena Mazarakis, Momenteur for SO | The Academy for the Less Good Idea, explains that The Ugly Noo Noo is a seminal work in the canon of South African theatre.  

“The work is not only a biting piece of allegorical protest theatre but it also established Buckland’s unique style of the highly physical one-hander that blended elements of mime with razor-sharp text.

“It is a style that has since influenced and inspired multiple generations of performers and theatre makers, defining a particular South African brand of physical theatre marked by the combination of physical virtuosity with a strong textual strand and the solo performer who single-handedly takes on an entire cast of characters.”

She reminded audiences that, “not only is this re-staging a reminder of the part that theatre and artists played in the struggle but is also a continued reminder to artists today of the power that their work holds to critique and question the many injustices that surround us.”

For Buckland, his work is all about the imagination of the audience, where the action of the piece is given life. “It’s a delicate line to get the audience curious, like charades on steroids, as you draw them into the play.”

Play, in fact, says Buckland, was where it all began. He was the youngest of seven siblings and started playing on his own for hours, being the hero in his own world.

For this particular piece, 36 years ago, it began after witnessing his wife’s response to what had become known as the Parktown prawn. “I always loved language put together with movement or stillness,”  he says.

Thus began the encounter between a human and an insect. He felt trapped in the world of apartheid at the time. How does a white man deal with what is happening around him on stage? He knew he had to participate in a meaningful way. The Ugly Noo Noo gave him the perfect allegorical way out, offering him a novel way of telling stories while at the same time pointing to the world around him and the horror confronting South Africans.

What he was familiar with was his own angst and fear. Being the artist he is, The Ugly Noo Noo was where it all began. And while we were in the grips of apartheid when it first emerged, this time the world is struggling with a sudden explosion of fascism all over the place, and the timing of the current season could not have been more apt.

Looking back, that has been Buckland’s weapon (deliberately or simply instinctively). His work has managed to capture a particular zeitgeist which in some fashion seems to hold countries  to ransom.

What he discovered with this work was that it was possible to use laughter as a vehicle to invite people to acknowledge and confront their fear.

Watching the performance all these decades later and again hearing the text it is obvious why it was such a success while still retaining all the power of performance and  storytelling as when it was first performed.

When talking about the making of, Buckland referred to his age, but what struck me was that all his many years of training, of honing his craft, have added to the detail and impact of his movement, which might have been diminished with age. Older and wiser, he knows where and how to compensate and embellish.

The text has lost none of its initial cunning and while his antics on stage has the audience in laughter much of the time, the real essence of the text is a still a stomach punch.

It is one of those that has all the elements celebrating the art of performance and storytelling when there’s a true genius at work. Buckland has always been one who worked with delicacy and delight when presenting his art. And his choice and timing of when and what to perform is spot on.

Hopefully he will return to that classic treasure trove of his and bring back all those memorable gems.   

A FIERCELY FUNNY SOLO ACT AT THEATRE ON THE SQUARE WITH A SKILLED SCRIPT AND DEXTROUS PREFORMANCE BY AARON MCILROY

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DIANE DE BEER

A VEGAN KILLED MY MARRIAGE

Actor: Aaron Mcilroy

Writer/director: Craig Freimond

Show times: Weekdays at 7:30pm and Saturdays at 5pm or 8pm

Dates: Until 14 July


A solo show is a difficult gig for any performer. It’s the actor and the script with no backup if things go wrong. They have to think on their feet.

But when it works, it’s usually a blast. They’re sometimes funny and often sad. But whatever the material, the performance is usually the determining factor.

That’s why I try to give solo artists at least one chance. If they’re good, you’re theirs for life and usually the progression is also special to witness.

When I saw  that Craig Freimond was the director and the scriptwriter, I knew this would be a winner. His reputation is established and I was pretty sure the trip would not be wasted.

It’s always interesting to discover new actors and Aaron Mcilroy’s performance was hugely entertaining.

The title is pretty self-explanatory and in this time of extremes, vegan is a good topic through which to exploit that particular behaviour trait. Anyone who gives up anything with success can be very painful and annoying. Perhaps “sanctimonious” captures the essence more specifically.

And that’s exactly what happens here as  this particular vegan convert decides he has to inspire the world. He has discovered the life and it is his responsibility to pass it on. Get the drift…

Especially braais – that sport of kings in the South African context – are not the place to start preaching a vegan lifestyle. But, of course, new disciples, have hardly learnt the finer nuances of taking things slowly. Trying to persuade someone to let go of their way of life because that’s what you have done is hardly a proven recipe.

And that’s exactly what happens. But without showing the play’s hand completely, rather discover it for yourself.

Mcilroy knows how to work a room, he has an abundance of tricks in his bag to layer his performance, and the script is coloured smartly with the sharpest South African shades, is extremely funny and very recognisable to anyone who has ever been in any relationship.

We all start out with good intentions and then the personalities and needs of the different parties come into play. How different individuals play their moves often determines the outcome.

Freimond and Mcilroy make a good team. It’s a sassy little play, a smart performance and, at 60 minutes long, perfect for a chilly Gauteng evening. Take some friends and have a relaxing time out.

THE STRENGTH OF A WOMAN’S DREAM DRIVES AND SUSTAINS THE KAROSS CREATIVE ENTERPRISE

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Irma van Rooyen’s life is driven by her creative instincts. What started as an idea has changed and enhanced many lives. DIANE DE BEER speaks to a woman who didn’t only have a dream, but turned it into reality called Kaross:

Kaross Cloth being created by Thembi Lebepe.

When Irma van Rooyen and her husband started farming in the Letsitele region (nearest town Tzaneen), their life took an unexpected turn.

It wasn’t part of their dream from the start, but once they decided this was their future, it was all systems go.

Growing up in a creative household, art was always part of Irma’s destiny. That was what she studied, with sculpture and mosaic all part of the programme. At home, her mother gave embroidery classes, all their clothes were made and fabulous food was what the family enjoyed.

Irma van Rooyen, Kaross dreammaker.

Once the Van Rooyen’s had bought their farm, their focus shifted. Irma had three young children to raise, but when you meet her and get to know her, you witness her creative mind always at work.

It didn’t take long for her to realise that there were many women dependent on the farm, but once they had done the work required from them, there were many idle hours that could provide them with a better as well as in this instance, an income enhanced by creative and skilled work. It’s always been Irma’s lifeforce and she hoped to multiply that gift.

They had already transformed an old farmhouse on the property into Irma’s studio where she would paint and create. She understands what creativity does for the soul. Not only would those participating receive better salaries, they would also gain in dignity and pride for what they were creating.

Kaross embroiderers at work: Shella Mathebula, (left) and Thandy Mongwe

Thus Kaross was born to fight not only the idle hours but also to benefit the community. When you read their mission statement on the Kaross website, the Van Rooyen couple’s strong sense of community was part of the farm’s ethos from the start in 1984, both as a family and as a citrus growing enterprise. They believed in working together with their colleagues, employees and community to create a sustainable environment in which everyone can benefit and grow.

workshops; The joy of Hilda Rikhotso’s artistic endeavour

That is clearly visible when you visit the farm and the Kaross workshops. Irma is the artist and once she understood that she could do something for especially the women, embroidery immediately featured. Initially five women were keen to get started. Embroidery is a traditional skill of the Vatsonga and Northern Sotho people and through Kaross, Irma revived the skill by making it commercially viable.

The embroiderers were encouraged to tell their own stories and the hope was that a market for their goods would develop organically. Irma jumped in with drawings at the beginning and she’s still involved on that level. What started out with five women on a blanket embroidering has turned into a thriving business and today Irma’s daughter Janine Pretorius also involved.. And when you see the goods available on the market, they have developed their own style and a quality that speaks for itself.

Kaross embroiderers at work.

For Irma it was always about improving lives and offering the tools to people who wanted a better life. These days, there’s hardly anywhere in the region that you won’t find someone sewing – men while waiting on a tractor or children sitting in their yard at home.

Friends in creativity, Olivia Phephenyane and Irma van Rooyen
Hilda Rikhotso (left) and Janine Pretorius share a Kaross moment.

She is the perfect embodiment of someone who knows that to make a difference, you have to be the difference. What started out as a business that created bread and butter products has become a creative hub with Irma’s daughter Janine in charge of the workshop on the farm which also includes a restaurant and a gallery where their magnificent work is on sale.

Kaross is a name to be reckoned with and they are sold across the country. It makes your heart sing.

They are commissioned to do large projects and Irma is always on the lookout for new ideas. Her role is now focussed on the creative side and she is very involved for example with the colours they use, the designs selected and future possibilities. The marketing side is as valuable with everything that entails.

The success of Kaross has meant the establishment of the non-profit Kaross Foundation in 2017 with the main objective to identify, fund and implement projects that will result in a sustainable improvement in the quality of both Kaross and Group 91 Uitvoer’s employees (those working on the farm and who are part of the citrus business).

They invest their time in especially the education sector and partner with six local high- and primary schools in the region so that they are constantly improving the quality of education offered to the young learners.

It has become a South African success story that now employs 1 000 embroiders in the Letsitele/Giyani area. But that also implies huge organisation to get the work distributed, to run what has become a huge business on which many people depend and thrive. And many of the family are involved. It shows. Their  best advertising and marketing is the product, the creativity and the quality.

When you meet Irma, you quickly realise that this is a woman with vision. She is also someone who goes about her work softly but her spirit is infectious. And probably now that she is mostly at work on the creative side, she is flourishing.

It is easy to stand back and view what they have done and are doing but what Irma has achieved is astonishing. Not only did she want to help the people around her, she wanted to establish a sustainable business that would make huge impact on the lives of her community – it does and it shows.

She speaks with warmth about the embroiderers who arrive at her studio to show what they have created with finished projects. “They’re so proud,” she says. That is when she realises the difference Kaross has meant in the lives of others.

She is also excited by all the work that has been done, the Mandela and Aids hangings, the artists that have been trained to provide the scenes that are embroidered, the work that was done to tempt tourists with for example scenes of the Big Five. But what probably thrills her independent spirit most is that the ownership of Kaross has always been that of those participating on whatever level.

Kids can go to good schools that have been made available, incomes have been established and grown, and more than anything, creativity is something that benefits everyone.

Many of us have dreams of doing something for others. It’s when like Irma van Rooyen you go ahead, put in the hours, travel the miles and simply go the whole way to make it work and be sustainable – then you make a difference.

Go and have a look at the Kaross website and lose your heart:

https://kaross.co.za/

THE WAY A CHILD’S HEART FINDS HAPPINESS

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REVIEW BY DIANE DE BEER

THE KING OF BROKEN THINGS

DIRECTOR AND WRITER: Michael Taylor-Broderick

ACTOR: Cara Roberts

VENUE: Mannie Manim Theatre at the Market Theatre

DATES: Until Sunday

AGE: From 10 years old

DURATION: Approximately an hour

This is the final call for this delightful play which has been doing the rounds for some time but, is as far as I know, this is its first visit to Gauteng.

Solo plays are festival standards and a wonderful way to discover new directors and actors. In this instance, Roberts, who according to the internet, is based in Durban, has been seen on local stages but also has a number of solo productions as part m of her repertoire.

That tells you about a performer who knows how to generate her own work, something they need when trying to survive in an industry hard hit in any troubled times. Survival is part of their normal game.

And for the character Roberts is portraying in this particular venture, a 10-year old boy, it is all about survival.

We don’t know too much about him except that he is living in a world of “broken things”, which dominate his life and the space in which we find him. If the world he was given is too difficult to navigate, it seems, his remarkably skilled solution is to create a space that can accommodate his wounded soul.

But that is how many young children react to a tough situation which they might not understand and in which the adults in their lives are sometimes the culprits who have created what seems to be a dark space.

And we all know that while communication is the best way to keep anyone’s world on track, it’s something that everyone seems to have a problem understanding. Just check around you and the problems you bump into – communication is such a handy tool if we would just go there.

Yet when your life seems to be dominated by pain, losing people you love and trying to find the reason for these tough times, you will find a way. You might not understand what is happening, but in this instance, the young child talks and creates his way to a better place.

It’s one of those plays that presents you with a moment in time, one that most of us encounter in some way, but he has found a way. If others can’t fix you, there are ways to make your dreams come true.

Roberts is an astonishing actor. Playing someone much younger is a tough ask, but with a smart script and a performer that throws herself at the role with just the right balance, it works.

It’s a charming hour and a play which I think especially teenagers should see. They would pick up a few life lessons and discover the way theatre can generate both wisdom and wit as The King of Broken Things leads them into a world of wonder where imagination is the ingredient that really matters. Shows tonight (7pm), tomorrow (3 and &pm) and Sunday (3pm). Bookings at https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1537172754

NATANIЁL IS A WIZARD WHEN WORKING WITH WORDS

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I never gave much thought to Nataniël’s live talk shows but, because they had become so popular, it was time to investigate. DIANE DE BEER gives her feedback:

So I went to last year’s Fairtree Atterbury Theatre show in Pretoria, and was so impressed that I forgot to take notes. There was little chance of reporting or writing without having  a single note and when he announced the 2024 (he changes topic every year) I was ready to go – which happened a few weeks ago.

It’s always packed, no room for a single late-comer, and while last year’s topic was Pain, this year he focused on our chaotic world and the urge to achieve excellence. “What are we busy doing?” he asked. “What is going on?”

All of this chatter happens at breakneck speed and what I had forgotten was that the auditorium is pitch dark, like in a theatre show. Taking notes would be quite a challenge, but I was determined.

What I hoped to capture would perhaps not be the most accurate version of his magical monologue, but I was hopeful that I would capture the essence and encourage fans to attend future talks.

First off, it’s all in Afrikaans. But that’s always part of his charm. He often complains about a show or a talk which is too serious and not really funny. What escapes him is the way he speaks, his vocabulary and the way he constructs a sentence are unusual and often hysterically funny.

With the focus on the times we live in, he began his talk with one of his irresistible stories which set the tone for the rest of his talk. He can’t but be funny even when he is having a serious conversation. It’s his special formula and what makes you listen while forgetting that you’re actually part of a masterful sermon.

He has always had the gift of the gab. That’s how he makes a living. People hang on  his every word. Why not impart some wisdom while making them laugh? And that’s exactly what he does. Not many can make you smile while telling you how to behave. But he does, and gets paid to do exactly that.

And again, it’s because he knows how to tell a story: whether these are true or fabricated, the life lessons come from the heart – and experience. Being Nataniël, he has an unusual life and people share their secrets. He will juggle and jiggle them around so that even those involved will probably not recognise themselves, and then he will douse it with wit as well as wisdom – and the audience will lap it up.

In the current talk he investigates the need to succeed and sparkle (“prestasie” in Afrikaans, but he was unsure of the English translation as achievement doesn’t quite hit the mark!)

And while fame and celebrity seem to be the hallmark of success in today’s world, he believes there’s more to it than that. Legacy is something that is often talked about yet the individual in question doesn’t experience that, it only comes once they’re dead. “A career is also an achievement,” he suggests.  And at least then, you can share in the satisfaction of having achieved something.

While at school –  something he hated with his whole being – he was often charged by a teacher or someone in authority to participate in a competition of some kind. His response was always, but why? To what end? Who benefits? And what does any of this achieve?

Others again will equate success with money, but having raced through a spectacular career himself, he has had the chance to reflect. For him it has always been the process of getting from beginning to end – whatever the journey might entail. Once you have travelled from one point to another, you can look back, and perhaps make sense of it.

“Success changes your perspective,” he reasons. And for him, 114 productions on (all self-written, music composed, directed and performed), the pain and anxiety have remained. It has never been easy and he still questions the damage accumulated through the years. “It has to impact my health, surely,” he says. “I seem to be in constant pain.”

In his world, he only recognises five iconic individuals: Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci, neither of whom lived fabulous lives; Shakespeare, who had to act in his own plays to make a living; Einstein whose famous equation explains the energy released in an atomic bomb; and his grandmother who is the individual most often featured in his stories and the one he credits with influencing his life the most.

“I have tried everything but could never recreate the magic she created in her home and on others.”  That’s what he refers to as a natural achievement – not something one tries to do, it simply happens.

Go and listen when you can. Nataniël is one of those people who lives an interesting life because of who he is. It’s not so much the celebrity status, rather the way he views the world that comes through in his talks.

He is naturally wise, more witty than anyone I know or have encountered, and he knows how to tell stories. More than anything, that has probably most endeared him to audiences.

His spectacular shows are something to witness and experience, I never miss those. These latest talk sessions are something completely different yet no less entertaining. As with his shows, you leave the theatre feeling you have gained something – and for everyone it will be different.

And you will die laughing…

He can’t help himself. Even when serious, his inner clown escapes.

29 June 2024

GESELS 2024

11am + 3pm

Fairtree Atterbury Theatre, Pretoria
No children under 15
Book at: seatme.co.za

AUTHOR ONKE MAZIBUKO, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

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The second verse of any song has to be more killer than the first. Always. The rhythm has to slap. The lyrics must be on point. The feeling intense. And the impact mad-definitive. It’s just the way it is. In the same way, if you do well in life once in a life, then you always have to be better from that point onwards. No doubt.

Author Onke Mazibuko is the director of transformation, diversity and inclusion at Johannesburg’s Kingsmead College, he has two master degrees, one in psychology, the other in public health and is busy with a PhD in creative writing. As if all that isn’t daunting enough, he tells DIANE DE BEER about The Second Verse, (Penguin Random) as well as two more books on the horizon – as well as a few other passions in his life:

“Whenever people ask me what I do for a living or who am I, I always feel I’m going to shortchange myself because there’s no one box or title or definition that would do it all justice.

“For example, if I say to people I work in a school as a director of transformation diversity and inclusion, that doesn’t explain that I’m also a writer. And when I say that also, it doesn’t do justice to the fact that I’m also a psychologist, and when I do that, it doesn’t do justice to the fact that I’m also a cyclist.

“I also love cycling, and when I say that, it doesn’t do justice to the fact that I love hiking. And when I do that, it doesn’t do justice to the fact that I’m curious about Buddhism. I’m practising meditation, but I’m not necessarily a Buddhist.

“And then there’s the rapping, the music aspect of it.”

And then he concludes that it’s easiest to say: “I’m a person, I’m a spirit, I am someone who is highly creative and I love learning. There’s nothing I love more than self-expression and learning.”

Speaking is the delightful Onke Mazibuko, whom I was privileged to interview in front of a live audience at the recent Vrye Weekblad Book Festival at Cullinan. We hadn’t met before the event apart from a short introductory phone call, but his heartfelt coming-of-age, first novel, The Second Verse (Penguin Random House), told me something about Onke’s youth.

I felt quite strongly that he had experienced the same emotions as his main character Bokang at some stage and that he was a writer I would love to read more of in the future. When asked questions about himself, he easily pours his heart out and shows who he is – as much as is comfortable – but with great sincerity.

“ I also sometimes wonder how I got to where I am because I feel there are things that happened in my life that have taken me off the path. But when I look back, I realise, I’ve never really been off the path as such,” he explains. With so many accomplishments to his name, one wonders what drives him.

“Going back to when I was six years old, all I wanted to be was a cartoonist. I used to enjoy drawing and painting and I remember my parents used to laugh at me (my father was a doctor and my mother was a nurse), thinking that this was cute maybe, and as I got older, I wanted to be a doctor like my father, but when my parents separated when I was 12, I let go of that idea. When I entered high school, it was a difficult time because our financial circumstances had changed because of the separation.

“I went from private schools to government schools and even though there are very good government schools, it was a very big change in my life. We moved from KwaZulu-Natal where I had been in boarding school for eight years and suddenly we were in East London in the Eastern Cape and I was a day scholar.”

That is where the writing started – an emotional response, perhaps a coping mechanism in a life that might have felt as though it was disintegrating.

“I started writing a lot of poetry. Now years later, I’ve become aware that whenever I go through emotionally difficult times, I tend to turn to writing.”

This developed into an interest in learning to rap and taking part in hip-hop events when he attended the University of Cape Town. For the first time he saw his peers getting on stage and doing poetry and he challenged himself to learn to rap and get over his fear of talking in front of people. “I was very shy,” he explains. Getting on stage, enjoying the hip-hop scene, that’s where he forged an identity for himself.

He eventually dropped out of university because he had chosen a specific field for the wrong reasons. And while the hip-hop was going well, at the time, it wasn’t yet commercially viable. “I was not compromising and I felt that I wasn’t going to change my music just to fit into the industry standards.”

And he still takes that stance when making decisions. Something he questions in his writing is when others try to define him. The Second Verse has been branded as young adult, while he feels that, if he had anybody in mind, it was an older reader. “I wanted readers to reflect on their past, look back,” he says.

Leaving university, his life took what some might think of as a sharp left. He went to work for a bank. But this also allowed him to explore his creative side in many ways. He decided to return to his university studies but also kept up the writing. His office and the university were in close proximity and graffiti became another pastime to indulge his creative dreams.

“I would leave home at 7am in the morning dressed in working gear, walk 25 minutes to work. Opening accounts for people, talking to them about  home loans etc, doing all these professional things, and at approximately 4pm, would walk about 5 minutes and get to school and attend lectures until about 8 at night.”

Then he would walk home at nighttime, and his creativity would emerge again. He would have his spray cans handy and start tagging and doing throw-ups. Then to bed at about 10 so that he could wake up at 2 in the morning, go and graffiti train carriages and return home to get ready for work, where he would show up with fingers covered in paint.

People didn’t know what he was doing, but he was at work on time. In-between clients, when he got bored, he would write poetry and rap, which passed the time.

He always read a lot, and he remembers reading somewhere that if you are a reader, you are a writer under cover. “If I had to find an origin of when I started writing, I would take it as far back as when I started reading.” When he was at boarding school at the age of 5, “they would read us bedtime stories, and by the time I was in std 1, you had to have your own book.”

Books were always a part of his life. His father’s books were all around the house, in fact, he and his brother’s room was pretty much his father’s library. “We felt we were sleeping in his library rather than that his books were in our room.”

He didn’t do particularly well in writing at high school and this was him trying, so he left school thinking that he couldn’t write, didn’t think it was something special. His sister (who sadly died a few years ago) always played a special mentoring role. She was a lecturer where he was studying and would give him feedback about what his lecturers were saying.

He was in the psychology department and she was in the sociology department, and she would tell him how proud she was of him because the lecturers were always saying how well he wrote.

But it wasn’t until he got to his honours degrees, when they started telling him he could write well. During his psychology studies, he was having emotional struggles and had read that journalling could help him. He has  been doing that since 2008 and hardly ever skips his daily journalling. For him it is not about the content but about the practice of making time to be with himself.

The first time he really attempted to write a story, he was 35 years old and was doing a PhD in psychology. He was having problems and again writing became his safe place. In the process, he realised how much he was enjoying the writing.

He also started volunteering at youth-centred NGO’s, while writing another novel which deals with young people. He’s continued seeing clients, not a lot, but he loves the therapy. He also does palm reading, astrology and tarot. When spending time in libraries at 19 after dropping out, he discovered books on astrology, and just read and read.

This side of his career developed organically and he knows now that when he felt his life was falling apart, he was actually gathering knowledge and strength for the future. “Things come around; what I learnt to do at a young age has become part of my life.”

When he isn’t writing, he falls apart. He does a lot of writing exercises, which keeps him healthy and focussed on a routine. Research methods, life experience, everything comes into play.

Mentoring plays a large role in his life. Once he starts talking about the youngsters he mentors, the stories just pour out. Often their stories remind him of his own journey. He is also someone who received scholarships and travel grants –  once you’ve received these kind of gifts, you want to do the same for other people.

It was one of his mentees, a young man who had never read a novel and was sent one of the early drafts of The Second Verse, whose response and determination to keep reading, proved to Onke that while he didn’t view his book as great literature, he has the ability to capture emotions. It’s not about the words (in other words), it’s about the storytelling capability.

He was humbled when he received the South African Literary Award for Youth Literature, which confirmed to him that this is the kind of story he should write.

The book was influenced by Catcher in the Rye which at first he hated, but when he read again after dropping out at varsity, he experienced it very differently. Once he realised he was writing a coming-of-age story, he tapped into the most difficult four years of his life –  high school. He was discriminated against by both white and Black kids and always made to feel different, creating a yearning to fit in.

His two latest books are a story of two brothers whose sister died and, one he is writing for his PhD in creative writing that follows his years at Transnet and deals with a whistleblower who discovers corruption in a state-owned company. It can’t come too soon.

RINGMASTER SYLVAINE STRIKE GATHERS THE BEST AROUND HER FOR A FLOURISHING SPRING AWAKENING

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The ensemble wih the love-struck couple (Scarlett Pay and Dylan Janse van Rensburg) in the front.

REVIEW BY DIANE DE BEER

Pictures: Claude Barnardo

SPRING AWAKENING

Based on the play by Frank Wedekind

Books and lyrics: Steven Sater

Music by: Duncan Sheik

Featuring: Dylan Janse van Rensburg, Scarlett Pay and Jonathan Conrad with Gemma Bisseker, Killian Blerk, Jude Bunyan, Tatum Grace Coleman, Jayden Dickson, Noa Duckitt, Skye Themeda Goss, Ché-Jean Jupp, Gabriella Knight, Jasmine Minter, Tumelo Mogashoa, Hannah Norcott, Nandipa Nyivana, Benjamin Stannard, Tjaart van der Walt, Gerhard van Rooyen (graduates and under-graduates) and playing the two adults, also former students of LAMTA (The Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy), Francis Chouler and Natalie Robbie

PRODUCERS: Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander

LIGHTING, SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN: Niall Griffin

SOUND DESIGN: David Classen

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Anton Luitingh

CHOREOGRAPHIC SUPERVISOR: Duane Alexander

VOCAL DESIGNER: Annemari Milazzo

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Amy Campbell

CHOREOGRAPHY: Anna Olivier and Naoline Quinzin

STAGE MANAGER: Sarah Wolhuter

DIRECTOR: Sylvaine Strike

VENUE: Pieter Toerien Theatre, Montecasino

DATES: May 5

Spring Awakening a production for current times.

Perhaps Spring Awakening is the reason Sylvaine Strike is only now directing her first musical. It was destined to happen with this particular show – and she does it magnificently.

If anyone was up to this specific task, she was. Even more than I knew, because I was unaware of her teaching responsibilities at LAMTA, Luitingh and Alexander’s Musical Theatre Academy in Cape Town that invited Strike to direct.

In her programme notes, she explains that  her  students understood her approach “tackling the very controversial themes – from a physical rather than a psychological perspective – possible, and ensuring that the sexuality, heartache, and rebellion we activated during the rehearsal process always came first and foremost from the body. This was apt seeing that the impulses of adolescence also spring from this turmoiled yet effervescent well. Whether we explored the private agony of self-consciousness; the damage of self-doubt; the wreckage of hormones on both mind and soul; the pain of parents’ inability to accept a child as they are; or the blossoms of sexuality growing their gentle tendrils of yearning and fantasy throughout adolescence …”

Much of the magic is in the movement.

Her mantra was to seek a physical way to manifest these feelings and to create the characters from that specific place.

And even though I didn’t know any of this before watching this production, it was the movement and the choreography that grabbed and gripped me throughout. It was so clever and crafty to use this in both solo and ensemble numbers and even with the very specific movements of the two adults to exactly capture their strictly restrained and fastidiously maintained lives.

I kept wondering who the choreographers were, as they who would have been completely aligned with Strike’s vision because of her very detailed rehearsal process. Not surprisingly, but also with kudos to the producers and director, they picked two of their talented graduates Olivier and Quinzin, who did an amazing job both incorporating and executing their work to perfection. It adds currency and electricity to the performances that translate masterfully.

But that was just the start of the cohesion of the whole. Again the programme notes capture it best when explaining the electrifying adaptation of Wedekind’s Spring Awakening into a contemporary rock musical, which Strike rightly salutes as the key to the current success of the piece. She is convinced (and I agree) that the sheer brilliance of Steven Sater’s lyrics and Duncan Sheik’s music makes the return of this classic possible and heightens the relevance of the themes as long as there are adolescents in this world.

To pull it off though, it needed the razor-sharp vision of Strike, her pinpoint accuracy in the detail and, more than anything, the artists she surrounds herself with, assigning them to their specific fields of expertise. Even though she and designer Griffin had never worked together, she trusted her instincts and tasked him with all three design elements: lighting, costume and set, all of which establish the feel and the atmosphere of where and how the story unfolds.

 It’s brilliant. From the set that transforms with only a few movable parts to the costumes that speak volumes in their simplicity but also carry an underlying theme, as he experimented with the authenticity of the fabric, to the lighting that enhanced what he had already established with the set and the costumes.

All of this would have been superfluous without the right cast. It starts with their youthfulness. Undergraduates and graduates of LAMTA, most were already familiar with the director’s ethos, and it shows. Performances are spectacular and some of the solo moments quite breathtaking.

Spectacular singing with individual tones from Johnathan Conrad and Dylan Janse van Rensburg.

There’s too much to take in and remember in one sitting, but the performer I couldn’t turn away from was the unusual Johnathan Conrad. It needed someone like Strike to cast correctly, but it was as if the theatre gods had handed her a mini Mick Jagger in looks and talent. As the overwrought and picked-upon Moritz Stiefel, his every move, the singing and the presence never faltered  –  a wonderful foil in a complex production.

The love-struck Scarlett Pay (as Wendla Bergman) and Dylan Janse van Rensburg (Melchior Gabor) are radiant as the couple who cannot resist one another, and their singing captures their hearts’ desires magnificently. Another standout was the luminous Noa Duckitt as Ilse Neuman.

Two standout performances from Noa Duckitt as Ilse and Johnathan Conrad as Moritz Stiefel.

The music holds the show and the singing had to soar for the show to come alive. Again, musical director Amy Campbell teaches at LAMTA and wisely she was in charge and harnessed all her skills to get this working perfectly. More than anything it is the individuality of the different singers surrounded by the more gentle ensemble singing (more often than not) that rocks this one.

Finally it is Strike who pulled it all together. You can have all the talent in the world, but if the story isn’t told with one voice, it has diminishing impact.

Strike doesn’t miss a beat. She has gathered artists young and old around her to tell this striking story that affects us all at some stage in life in the best way she knows how. It has purpose, it holds you in awe from beginning to end, and you are engaged in and enraged with these youngsters as they fight for their right to live their way.

I was spellbound.

DREAMY SINGER/SONGWRITER LUNA PAIGE IS ON THE MOVE WITH MUSIC THAT REFLECTS THE TIME

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Stellenbosch singer/songwriter Luna Paige will be in Pretoria and Philadelphia for rare performances to celebrate the launch of two new albums; the one in Afrikaans (Dis die Dors), the other in English (Harmony). DIANE DE BEER chats to the singer whose career she has followed from her early days – with admiration:

Storielied Reunion.Picture: Pierre Rommelare

For singer/songwriter Luna Paige the last few years has been a sharp learning curve. Since her early start in the industry (late 1999), she has been one of the most dedicated artists I know – and she usually does it all herself.

Her first look-in was when she was invited to record three of her songs on a compilation album alongside Lesley Rae Dowling and other female artists at the time. “It is what catapulted me into a music career,” she says. But driven as she is, and one has to be when you drive your own career as she does, she would have found a way.

Since those early days she has released five solo albums and one SAMA-nominated collaborative album. And since 2015, she has released numerous songs digitally  and she believes, she has come into her own this past decade. That is until Covid struck.

She established her own music production company which developed music-driven productions, hosted and organised, concert series and co-ordinated music workshops five years ago. In her capacity at Iluminar Productions, she also represented other musicians and musical groups.

She found herself collaborating with many artists and produced shows such  as Her Blues, Korreltjie Kantel and Smeltkroes. She also played a supporting and promotional role in the popular My Miriam Makeba Story featuring the luminous Sima Mashazi.

Because her business was still young and primarily focussed on servicing art festivals and live entertainment venues and clubs, the pandemic was disastrous as for so many other artists who depend on audiences.

Luna knew it was time to join the workforce and between 2021 and 2024 she worked as a marketer and fundraiser for Paul Roos Gymnasium, a prestige Stellenbosch school. But she’s back in the music business, armed with many new skills and ideas she wants to implement in the music industry – as well as two new albums.

During Covid she had time to reflect, and, coming out of the pandemic, her thinking and that of the world around her, has changed. That is also what her songs reflect; her collaborative intent as well as the fast-paced changes in our society. “The last time I released an album, the world looked a lot different. The digital era is now in full sway. It has affected everything outside of us, but also our own internal way of processing information, and life in general.”

And that is exactly what she sings about.

When you ask Luna about her life, she speaks about the difficulty of packaging herself. “Let’s be honest, I am so many things!” She is a singer-songwriter. She writes in her mother tongue but also in English. She doesn’t compose in a specific genre. “For me, the song, and the story behind it, dictates the genre the song needs to be in. I find my influences from a wide array of genres.”

But then she is also a social worker, an altruist and an organiser. She feels she is a catalyst of sorts. “I know how to bring an interesting group of people together to do great things.” And with those words in mind, I predict exciting performances in the future.

Luna has always had to fight for her place in the industry. Performing isn’t an easy way to make a living. Music is her life, and she has always known that’s where she wants to be. Armed with new skills and insight, she believes that private investment in the arts is essential for its survival. “I believe artists have a huge responsibility to not only expect funds, but to also give back to their own communities. And the causes they believe in.”

While fundraising and marketing something other than herself, she became aware of her own different facets. “I have always seen them as separate things, one not having anything to do with the other. But now I know it’s the combination of these elements that makes me unique.”

She’s excited to explore what she calls “fusion of self”, how it will unfold and the kind of creative endeavours it will lead to.

These two latest album releases also reflect her new-found knowledge, showing the different sides of self.

“My Afrikaans side and my English side. Why? Because I do express myself differently in these two languages. It is interesting to me how I almost have a different voice in each of them,” she explains.

And speaking of voices, Luna also does different voices when she speaks and when she sings. If you have a conversation and have never heard her sing, it sounds like a completely different person.

On her Afrikaans album, Dis die Dors, she pays homage to two iconic poets – Jeanne Goosen and Antjie Krog. Their poems, which she puts to music, touch on the subject of either loneliness or aloneness. “It’s a theme I am quite interested in – especially the difference between the two. The power of the one versus the sadness of the other.”  Both poets, she notes, also touch on our thirst – for something meaningful in what can be a challenging world. “I sing about purpose, about nature’s generous supply of lessons, and about the labels we embrace for our own self-preservation.” She also addresses online nastiness and real-life kindness, and borrowed time.

And as always with the soulful singer, the genres vary from gypsy jazz and world music to folk rock, rock ‘n roll, troubadour-style songs and one typical Luna-style piano rock ballad.

On the English album, Harmony, she included some of the songs released digitally during 2021 and 2022, as they didn’t reach enough people. She believes they deserve a good resting place. She describes the album as bolder in sound and voice. “I am sharing ideas that I have never previously introduced in my music. Ideas about a lot of –isms. In my song Whose life is it anyway I am encouraging freedom of expression, of individualism, freedom from whatever the mainstream demands. In Circle of witches she addresses the sensitivity towards feminism (even from women themselves). “It is a modern take on feminism and why I believe it is still relevant.”

Not one to stand on the sidelines,  Middle Class Shoes  is dedicated to May 29 when we stand in line to vote for our next ruling party. “It is a song about classism – something we don’t acknowledge remotely enough when talking politics in SA,” she says.

Luna Paige. Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht

Real news that feels like fiction, alcohol abuse, the power of owning aloneness as well as her love of the continent all feature. And there’s much more.

What she does with her music is speak her mind. All she asks is that we take the time to listen. And I certainly can’t wait. She has a voice that melts your heart and touches the soul. And she offers wisdom and wit with her thoughtful lyrics.

Much thought and research went into producing these albums and how to package them for this digital age.

What she has decided is to release her music in USB-format.

The 2024-USB will include the two new albums, poster art, lyric sheets and two music videos. The Full Collection-USB, will offer all her releases since 2003, multiple videos and live footage. She will also be selling personalised Luna Paige notebooks – with lyric extracts inside.

Her first performance was in Stellenbosch this past weekend and these two follow in Gauteng and Philadelphia:

Sunday, 14 April. Moonshot Café. Pretoria. 2.30pm. Tickets cost R200 at Quicket. Ticket link: https://qkt.io/tR9Nhd. On stage: Luna Paige and Mauritz Lotz.

Wednesday, 17 April. BV Hall. Philadelphia. 8pm. Pre-drinks and dinner at The Pepper Tree from 5.30 to 7.30pm  (Reservations: (+27) 84 707 3177. Show time: 8pm. Tickets cost R200 at Quicket. Ticket link: https://qkt.io/DAlG8G. On stage: Luna Paige, Mauritz Lotz, Schalk Joubert, Kevin Gibson.

And then she’s off for the rest of the year as she recharges her creative instincts and inspiration. She will be visiting places she has always dreamt of like Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and possibly Slovenia. She will be walking and writing, researching business ideas and checking in with artists who work in a social impact sphere.

She will be vlogging for those who wish to follow: https://lunamusic.co.za/blog-and-chat/

A JOYOUS FESTIVAL, THIS YEAR’S KLEIN KAROO NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL, LIFTED THE SPIRITS

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Another Klein Karoo National Arts Festival has come and gone but what lingers are the artists, their originality, dedication, blood, sweat and tears and delight that they provide in a lopsided world which is difficult to navigate. DIANE DE BEER finds nourishment, inspiration and novelty in the imaginative and ingenious artistry of our creatives:

I have to be honest from the start. Festivals always have a strong emotional impact on me. I am in the fortunate position as an arts journalist to be invited to see as many productions as I can squeeze into the run of an event and at this year’s Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) there was still a post-Covid frisson with the festival at full strength for a second year.

When a festival goes into full swing, it can be quite daunting and I’m not sure whether I want to be there, but as excellent productions and artists climb into my head, I go into full festival mode where I’m simply thrilled at being overwhelmed by the local arts community.

Being an artist isn’t an easy profession, even if many on the outside feel that they had a choice and simply have to bite the bullet. That they have a choice is arguable and to produce excellence year after year, often with few rewards and never under ideal circumstances, can be daunting and not for the fainthearted.

And yet they go full tilt as they battle extreme circumstances like pandemics or vitriolic social media, all in the name of art.

More than anything, whatever anyone says, we cannot  resist them. For me it is a huge blessing and privilege to witness and write about our uniquely original creatives.

Post-festival, an overview of the festival is always a personal reminder of and reflection on everything extraordinary, yet it’s tough to choose which among all those actors and productions, to highlight. There are simply too many that demand attention and especially this year, the scope was exceptional.

I always feel I want to bring something of the flavour of a particular festival to those who weren’t there. Perhaps one of my favourite pieces might pop up somewhere and a reader might be encouraged to go, or even more ideally, someone who has always thought about festivals but never attended might be encouraged to go.

The enchanted Die Swartmerrie withTheo Witbooi and Chantell Phillipus. Pictures: Ryan Dammert.

I have to start with Karoo Kaarte. It’s one of the dream projects of the KKNK, simply ticks all the boxes and grows more impressive every year since its first inception with special mention of last year’s winning production, Droomkrans Kronieke, which landed with such impact because of its energy and precision. How can you not win when developing the underdeveloped artistic talent of the previously disadvantaged by implementing a programme that empowers those who wish to make it in the arts.

It’s inspiring and this year’s production, Die Swartmerrie, is a site-specific piece set on dilapidated terrain with a set of train tracks, an imagined train, and a rundown platform. Two people, a man and a woman (Theo Witbooi and Chantell Phillipus) are waiting, both traveling but not with the same destination in mind. There is a past, the tracks and possible journey points to a future, but this notion disappears with the wind.

It is breathtakingly beautiful and hauntingly gripping as the two talk and tackle their issues with delicate determination.

Afrikaans is an especially emotive love language and when spoken in the specific Karoo accent, warm and intimate, the sounds are as captivating and meaningful as the actual words being spoken.

I was surprised by this couple alone on stage and also electrified that the team (in this instance Neil Coppen – a facilitator of the whole project with Vaughn Sadie – and Oudtshoorn’s Tiffany Saterdacht) decided to go this route but, of course, this is a company packed with the unexpected, and hopefully it is a production that will become an institution in Oudtshoorn and won’t be limited to the festival. You don’t want to miss out on these performances and such a quality production. They should keep pushing the repeat button and keep it as part of their arsenal.

Karoo Kaarte further packed a punch with its art exhibitions, as well as walking tours done by young Oudtshoorn inhabitants all participating in turning the town’s current and future narrative into an inclusive one. The community is constantly gaining strength thanks to Coppen and Sadie who have invested their creativity in this wonderful way, all the while bringing their local learners on board.

It’s a marvellous investment in the future of this town (and hopefully others across the country will follow) and fingers crossed that a smart investor will see the potential going forward.

Because we were born in such large numbers, our generation is referred to as the baby boomers (born from 1946 to 1964) and probably that’s why ageing and the lifestyles of those growing older has become part of today’s theatre language. We are also fortunate to have some amazing artists who keep on practising their craft while ignoring any barriers that might come their way.

They know how to choose, break out and try new things and simply keep audiences flocking to their performances. Names like Sandra Prinsloo, Antoinette Kellermann, Jana Cilliers, Elzabe Zietsman, Amanda Strydom not only arrive with new productions, they’re also constantly adding skills to their resumés.

Cilliers took up playwrighting for the first time with Veelhoek, a two-hander with herself and Ludwig Binge directed by Marthinus Basson, and the wisdom and writing were quite overwhelming. Who would have thought that, apart from all her other accomplishments, she would now add writing to the list – and then perform it with such clarity as she tells a story that lies close to the heart?

Zietsman is another one who keeps shifting those barriers and I am so delighted that she has added the magnificent Tony Bentel to accompany her on stage. He is one of those pianists who brings much more than just the music to the performance and it shows. Vier Panado’s en ‘n Chardonnay again has Zietsman expounding on life, singing brilliantly and with heart – and cherishing cabaret as it should be performed. The content, which deals with resilience,needs hardly any acting by this actor. Most of it is probably her life which she has shared heartily and hastily over the years. And she will always rise…

Do we need to say anything more about those two great dames, Sandra Prinsloo and Antoinette Kellermann? How lucky are we to witness them in performance after performance as they just keep surging ahead.

Die stoele with Antoinette Kellermann and Chris van Niekerk. Picture: Hans van der Veen.

Kellermann tackled the Ionescu tour de force Die Stoele, accompanied by a much-too-rare performance by Chris van Niekerk. Marthinus Basson adds genius to the production, which can be seen over and over again as it deals with something we all have to confront ­­– LIFE. The content might be terrifying but to watch, quite hysterical. As always Kellermann is in with everything she’s got and what she does with her body tells a story all its own.

Goed wat wag om te gebeur with an actress I would love to see more of, Emma Kotze and Gideon Lombard.

She’s also a part of the magnificent cast (Kellermann, Emma Kotze and Gideon Lombard) of Philip Rademeyer’s Goed Wat Wag Om te Gebeur. I had seen the English version most recently but also this one a few times, and this latest run proved how good theatre improves with time. It’s the best the production has been and I know the director agrees.

Prinsloo brought her masterful Master Class, a piece of classical theatre, to the festival and, also as is her nature, she teamed up with the exceptional David Viviers in a Teksmark original Op die hoek van Styx en River is Nora per Abuis met die Dood Oorgeslaan (playwright Henque Heymans). It’s a novel work which showed flickers of what it could be in time (always a scarce commodity).

Like Rademeyer’s Goed Wat Wag Om te Gebeur, Monsters, (produced, directed, adapted and translated by Tinarie van Wyk Loots) which has had runs at other festivals previously, found a remarkable rhythm that lifted the text and the performers into another realm . It was rewarding to experience and again I was reminded what a precious entity the different circuits are because single theatres cannot afford to take many risks and festivals add an extra buffer in this precarious world – to the benefit of arts audiences.

Michele Burgers in Monsters. Picture Stephanie M Gericke.

We haven’t seen much of the versatile Michele Burgers, who will hopefully return to stage more often in the future and who was beautifully supported by the talented René Cloete, Ntlanhla Kutu and Elton Landrew.

Die Vegetariër with Tinarie van Wyk Loots and Melissa Myburgh who as young actress has shown her mettle magnificently . Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht

Smartly directed by yet another multi-talented artist, Tinarie van Wyk Loots, she also featured in Jaco Bouwer’s hard-hitting Die Vegetariër (adapted and translated by Willem Anker) which also benefited from another run, as well as in the latest probing Anker text, Patmos, also brilliantly staged and directed by Jaco Bouwer, who always challenges and pushes boundaries with his choice of productions, casts and presentation.

The visually captivating Patmos with Melvyn Minnaar and Tinarie van Wyk Loots. Picturess Hans van der Veen.

Without these art warriors our art landscape would be barren. They keep us returning to theatres time and again with their unique approach, their determination to do their best under trying circumstances, including a lack of time and money, and simply their excellence.

Nataniël, for example, returned from an extensive tour to New Zealand and Australia during the festival yet put together one of his distinctive shows with flamboyant costumes, mind-blowing text and two musicians (Marcel Dednam on Piano and Leon Gropp on guitar) who created a spectacular rhythm to underpin his songs and singing quite magnificently.

I could go on forever, there were simply too many highlights, yet I cannot go without honourable mentions of the following, no less important than those already mentioned:

Jefferson J. Dirks-Korkee in a return of the soul-stretching Rooilug.
Fietsry vir dommies. Picture: Gys Loubser
Hallo, is Bettie wat praat with Dean John Smith.
Marianne Thamm

Solo shows: the return of Rooilug with the delightful Jefferson J. Dirks-Korkee; Fietsry vir Dommies (masterful text by Tiffany Saterdacht and deftly directed by Dean Balie) which showcased the enormous talent of Eldon van der Merwe, who was also rewarded with a Kunste Onbeperk prize for Young Voice. Dean John Smit shone in his now full-length solo production of Hallo, is Bettie wat Praat; the craftily current My Fellow South Africans by Mike van Graan, starring the physically and mentally dextrous Kim Blanché Adonis; Vuisvoos, maar nog regop, where journalist Marianne Thamm delivers a gloves-off and much needed monologue, incisive if laugh-out-loud, on the state of the nation; a shout-out to much missed director, Jenine Collocott, who teamed with actor Klara van Wyk to present the hysterical Monika, it’s me:

The mesmerising ‘n Lewe in die dag van ‘n vrugtevlieg ensomeer with David Viviers and Wessel Pretorius. Picture: Hans van der Veen
The Old Man Who Thought He Had a Dog with Merwe van Gent and Angelique Filter.

Double-up: David Viviers and Wessel Pretorius returned as a popular duo in a follow-up to their successful Klara Maas with ‘n Lewe in die die dag van ‘n vrugtevlieg, ensomeer and hopefully many more encores in the future, they were missed; an innovative new duo, Stellenbosch students Angelique Filter and Merwe van Gent, soared with the tragicomedy The Old Man who thought He had a Dog;

The delightfully funny Marc Lottering.
KG Mokgadi- Weighing In.

Stand-up (not my speciality) yet: Who can resist the always energetic and enthusiastic funny man Marc Lottering who always delivers?; as well as my comic standout of the festival, KG Mokgadi. It feels as if these two have something more to say than just one-liners.

Ken Jy Vir Dewie with , Joshwin Dyson, Crystal Donna Roberts and Robert Hindley

Productions: The original Ken Jy Vir Dewie was cleverly staged with themes that target the whole family and as the play was dealing with bullying, the setting for everyone, actors and audience alike, was a classroom; and again, it was directed by yet another versatile artist, Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck, who has exchanged Dowwe Dolla for Ouma, again a sign of the times. She cleverly started the play outside with audience and cast waiting to enter the classroom!;

The joyous Braam en die engel with Rehane Abrahams, De Klerk Oelofse and Timothy Isaacs. Picture Hans van der Veen

And Craig Morris grabs the attention in Die Rooi Ballon.

Children’s Theatre: It’s not something I usually see at festivals but, as I did, I was encouraged by the effort made by the KKNK to look after these tiny tots who are of our more enthusiastic audiences: My favourites included Braam en die Engel and Rooi Boeties.Watch out for them as they might travel.

Dance: is back with brilliance because of the clever choice of productions, only two of them but with some of the most innovative names in contemporary dance: Dada Masilo who choreographed one of three pieces, Salomé, for Joburg Ballet; and Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf  with the Figure of 8 Dance Collective (pictured), who brought in other creatives like Nico Scheepers on text, Andi Colombo on lights and Franco Prinsloo on original music. Both companies were sublime.

Lucky Pakkie (Packet): Thanks to the brilliant team of Llandi Beeslaar and Stephanie Gericke, this is another of the KKNK delights because of their dedication and hands-on approach. It needs that because what you have is three lucky packets of four 15-minute productions each; the three sections embrace easy viewing to soft touch to pushing the envelope as much as possible, and artists who cannot manage a full production or perhaps just want to say what they need to say in this time and on this platform are vetted and included in a fun-filled programme.

The original Karli Heine. Picture by Stephanie M Gericke

There are too many to name, but for starters … what about Karli Heine, who turned herself into a pot plant and blew my mind … for script, performance and imagination!

It is impossible to cover everything and I haven’t given the art exhibitions a mention, even though curator Dineke Orton again broke down barriers and took us on a visual trip. But these are just some of my thoughts on a festival that felt like one joyous merry-go-round. Try and catch some of these through the year as they travel to different theatres and festivals.

Here’s holding thumbs!

And finally, on the last day, even the weather seemed out of sorts…