Category: Shows

THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF THE ANNUAL FIЁSTA ARTS AWARDS IS THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LOCAL ARTISTS IN DIFFERENT GENRES

~ debeernecessities

Diane de Beer reports:

Pictures: Gys Loubser

Awards can mean nothing or EVERYTHING. It really depends on each individual  and perhaps the most important ingredient is to witness especially the individual artists when they get over their surprise, gather their thoughts and express their wonderment at receiving such accolades.

Rocco Pool (Best Design), Christian Olwagen, (Best Festival Production), Rolanda Marais, (Best Actress) all for Hedda Gabler.

Astonished yet astonishing actress Rolanda Marais perhaps captured the moment best when she reflected on the 17-year-old schoolgirl she had been and how she would have experienced this achievement.

It’s one of the most vulnerable yet vibrant careers to choose, as your whole life is always dependent on the vision of others. If a director selects you, if the play is one that shows you at your best, if the audiences come, if they like the play and the cast and the list is endless.

Aardklop Fiësta winners: Joshwin Dyson (Laaitie mettie biscuits for Best Upcoming Artist and Best Actor), Artistic Director Alexa Strachan, Conroy Cupido, (Best Achievement in Classical Music for Die groot Finalé) and Philip Rademeyer (Stinkhout for Best Text ).

And yet, time and again, the actors put themselves on the line and out there to hopefully change the world for some in the audience. They probably do it more than they give themselves credit for and I have often been in awe of what they manage to achieve with too many obstacles for anyone to deal with, let alone create magic.

The Fiëstas panel attended every debut production at seven arts festivals (KKNK, Suidoosterfees, Innibos, Vrystaat Kunstefees, Klein-Karoo Klassique, Momentum Beleggings Aardklop and Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees) last year. Following an extensive voting process audited by auditors, the winners in 14 categories were determined and announced at the end of last month at a glamorous awards ceremony held at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.

kykNET also announced that the kykNET Fiëstas will have a new home. After 15 years of management by kykNET, the Tribuo Trust will now coordinate the Fiëstas, with kykNET taking on the role of naming sponsor.

“The decision was made so that the  kykNET Fiëstas can continue and flourish as a vibrant celebration of the arts in Afrikaans. kykNET remains the main sponsor and naming sponsor of the Fiëstas,” said Waldimar Pelser, M-Net Channel Director of Premium Channels.

“In discussions with the festival directors, kykNET emphasised that we will strengthen our support for the arts festivals in a way that we hope will also make the festivals more sustainable. We look forward to reimagining the new kykNET Fiëstas together with Tribuo and are excited about the road ahead.”

Karen Meiring, Executive Chairperson of Tribuo, said: “It is an important objective of Tribuo to invest in the future and the sustainability of the entertainment industry’s ecosystem. The kykNET Fiëstas seamlessly align with this goal as the awards recognise and celebrate excellent work. They also encourage crucial audience engagement and honour the people who carry the performing and creative arts. Tribuo looks forward to continuing this project together with kykNET, who remains the naming sponsor.”

The winners are:

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

Die groot finale (Momentum Beleggings Aardklop)

BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PRODUCTION

kykNET-konsert (Innibos)

BEST MUSIC-DRIVEN THEATRE

Ontban (Suidoosterfees)

BEST ADAPTATION OR TRANSLATION OF A TEXT

Naòmi Morgan – Ons wag vir Godot (Vrystaat Kunstefees)

BEST NEW TEXT

Philip Rademeyer – Stinkhout (Momentum Beleggings Aardklop)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL ARTS

Marlene Steyn – Between my i’s: tussen my oë (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DESIGN

Rocco Pool – Hedda Gabler (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Gerben Kamper – Ons wag vir Godot (Vrystaat Kunstefees)

BEST DIRECTION

Dion van Niekerk – Ons wag vir Godot (Vrystaat Kunstefees)

Joshwin Dyson (right) with his playwright/director Christo Davids

BEST UPCOMING ARTIST

Joshwin Dyson – Laaitie mettie biscuits (Momentum Beleggings Aardklop)

BEST ENSEMBLE

Hedda Gabler (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees)

BEST ACTOR

Joshwin Dyson – Laaitie mettie biscuits (Momentum Beleggings Aardklop)

BEST ACTRESS

Rolanda Marais – Hedda Gabler (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees)

BEST FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Hedda Gabler (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees)

The winner of the Blou Fiësta, awarded for commendable work that does not fall into any of the other categories, is the Suidoosterfees project 21. In celebration of the festival’s 21st anniversary, 21 productions were staged, each lasting 21 minutes with a ticket price of R21.

Amanda Strydom and Frank Opperman were honoured for their contributions to the arts.

A BRILLIANTLY BRAVE KARIN HOUGAARD, A POETIC PERFORMER AT HER BEST – AND SHE WILL BE BACK

~ debeernecessities

Kaalvoet by Karin Hougaard

Musicians Leon Ecroignard (contra bass, bass and handpans) and Luke van der Merwe (guitars, mandolin and oud)

February 2 at Pretoria’s Fairtree Atterbury Theatre

Karin has always been a performer rather than a singer. She throws herself into the performance with her whole body and soul and manages to sweep her audience along from start to finish.

She is a dramatic entertainer, larger than life in both stories and song – in the best sense of the word.

Personally, I feel as though she has grown into her performances with a confidence and wisdom that result in an extraordinary experience. She embraces the content and substance of the show, turning every song as well as the binding text into something personal and quite unique.

Sometimes the intervals between songs are an introduction to the song, sometimes it’s like a quiet meditation or a poem. It’s all-encompassing and deals with love, sadness, longing, alienation (which is probably due to her extended stay in the US), craving, being a woman and sensuality, something that she expresses with every movement.

This is a performer who explores her heart with exuberance and complete honesty. For her it’s all about authenticity.

Her selection of music is spectacular. Her English songs include You Don’t Own Me, the popular Dolly Parton’s Always Love You in a unique adaptation, the haunting  Uninvited by Alanis Morissette, a combo of Baghdad Café’s Calling You and Salmon Berries’ Barefoot (pointing to her choice of title and the way she performs, KAALVOET), a personal favourite, both dealing with her particular status as an outsider.

Those familiar with her self-written music, including  Muse, Sterrereën, Daar’s Ek , Stilbly en Daar’s Ek as well as the well known Heimwee and Summertime combined with Thula, will know it’s equally emotionally rich in song and presence. She and the iconic Dutch artist Herman Van Veen have a strong connection, she will be recording a duet of her song By My with him on his upcoming album, as well as perform as a guest artist on his 80th birthday celebration concert.

She also paid tribute to his songwriting with the Van Veen song Anders Anders and their dual composition Bij Mij.

While the cover adaptations are exquisite and felt to  me almost Janis Joplin (lite) inspired, the Afrikaans/Dutch songs have a more poetic and dramatic approach.

Her binding texts are as much part of the message as the choice of her songs. There’s nothing that’s not carefully choreographed and chosen to complete the full circle including her two marvellous musicians, Leon Ecroignard and Luke .

From beginning to end, you’re engaged and committed. If you do the work, the rewards are extraordinary.

One of the glorious results of being part of the arts for such a long time is being able to follow an artist’s career from the early days to their maturity. It’s such a privilege to see them grow and blossom and then reach a stage where they open their wings as wide as possible and fly.

That’s exactly what’s been happening to Karin these past few years. And it’s truly something to admire and for audiences a true gift. This is what she can do and how she nourishes her soul and ours.

She has returned to the US for a time, but her plans are to return to South Africa permanently in the foreseeable future. She says that she has been singing less and less, scaling down, she calls it. “

Her performances have been in  Holland more often than here locally and she chooses very carefully where to perform. She is intent on doing only selected special shows which will mean something to her as performer and thus be passed on to her audiences.

And she prefers to sing in theatres where the lights go low, the world disappears and she believes she can make magic.

Indeed, that’s exactly what happened this past Sunday. It feels as though you are witnessing something holy and in the moment, and that is something miraculous.

Knowing that she is returning to our shores also means that we will hopefully see more of this exceptional performer. Don’t miss the next one. You won’t be sorry.

PAUL SLAB’S NEW LOCAL PLAY, BITTER WINTER, CELEBRATES SCRIPT, DIRECTING AND ACTING

~ debeernecessities

PICTURES: Regardt Visser

BITTER WINTER

PLAYWRIGHT: Paul Slabolepszy

CAST: André Odendaal, Oarabile Ditsele, Chantal Stanfield

DIRECTOR: Lesedi Job

VENUE: Pieter Toerien’s The Studio at Montecasino

DATES: Until March 16

Everything to my mind seemed aligned for this one. I found the casting as well as the director intriguing, a new local play is always something to be excited about and Paul Slab has a way of climbing into a story.

At the same time, it also makes me nervous. I don’t want to raise my expectations by thinking ahead, but one can hardly prevent it.

Ensemble cast (Chantal Stanfield, André Odendaal and Oarabile Ditsele) and playwright Paul Slabolepszy

Either way, I was quick to exhale once the actors found their way on stage. One feels it immediately. It’s two actors in a room waiting (rather like a doctor’s waiting room) to be auditioned.

 Anyone who knows anything about theatre knows that this is both an exhilarating and a scary experience. Not many of us have to sell ourselves in such a public way each time when applying for a new job. And like most things in life, there’s not really anything that can be done to alleviate the nerves crashing into one another at high speed in these circumstances.

Not only that. If there’s something Paul knows everything about, it’s this. Both as a writer and an actor, it’s a scenario that he has lived most of his life – and one feels all of that when watching the play.

The two hopeful actors (the one at the end of his career, the other excited about the life ahead) who don’t know one another are sitting in a room checking each other out. Times are tough – not only for actors – and this is not a friendly space. There’s no one around trying to soften the gig they’re waiting for.

Every once in a while, a rather officious woman enters and, while she’s charming to the one actor, she bristles when the other asks anything. The tension is palpable.

Already a scary space for all involved, it is also heightened in the South African context. And this is what the playwright handles so well. He plays the moment and not the context, which he leaves to the audience to experience.

It’s subtle yet clichéd but with this clever script and a team who works with everything they’re given, it sweeps you along.

The title could work in two of our languages, English and Afrikaans, and that’s another trick up Slab’s sleeve. He has both languages (as well as three more indigenous languages inluding Sesotho, isiZulu and Tsotsi) flowing throughout and, in this instance appropriately and with some delicious irony in hand as he points to the state of the arts in general.

The choice of actors and director, novel and genius, adds to the grit and weightiness of what we’re dealing with. It’s not an easy world to navigate in current times and if your particular career choice constantly also takes you to the edge of life’s challenges, it can be excruciating.

And yet, that is where these people involved choose to play. That is exactly what this play explores. It’s part of who they are and what they have to do.

Bitter Winter is a fantastic vehicle for someone who has been in the game for some time and knows the territory, the people and their insecurities, and the fears involved. But then he also knows how to capture the magnetism of live theatre, how it cherishes the soul, captures our imagination and makes you think.

It works because everyone pulls together. The acting, the directing and the text all play their part.

I can hear Paul say Local is Lekker in his exuberant manner. And he’s right. When it works this wonderfully, it’s a joy to behold.

Bitter Winter is donating a portion of ticket sales to the Theatre Benevolent Fund and every cent counts.

A FABULOUS FEAST OF THEATRICAL GENIUS

~ debeernecessities

Review by DIANE DE BEER

CAKE STOPPER

ARTIST: Nataniël

BAND: Charl du Plessis (keyboards); Werner Spies (bass); Juan Oosthuizen (guitar); Peter Auret (drums)

VENUE: Atterbury Theatre with shows tonight at 7pm, tomorrow at 7pm, Saturday at 11am and 3 pm, and Sunday at 3pm; (13 to 16 February Roodepoort Teater; 5 and 6 March, Sand Theatre in Bloemfontein)

If you have followed an artist as closely as I have Nataniël, it’s not only the performance but also the progression that becomes part of the thrill of this spectacular talent.

Time and again, I have been curious at my astonishment at what I am experiencing during one of his shows, but I know it is the constant evolution of what he presents that keeps me enthralled.

He is one of the few who has managed to keep the element of surprise always present and he does this especially with his scripts. He has a mind that keeps on giving stories so fantastical and yet so based in reality that everyone can identify. But what elevates the presentation is his genius with words.

Bilingual and equally adept in English and Afrikaans, he has managed through the years to broaden his audience base in the way he has become comfortable in both. The stories immediately draw you in and the choice of language doesn’t play a part. It is the way his mind wanders, how he tells a story and the unique way he presents and arranges every single sentence.

Originality is one of those elements you either have or don’t. You cannot make it happen if it’s not there. And through the years, his has become stronger as his comfort levels have grown.

What you have now is a performer in total command of his art as he mesmerises his audience with his phenomenally unique storytelling. He is comfortable sharing the personal stories of his life and the way the world has always viewed and treated anyone who isn’t exactly moulded in the image of everyone else. He revels in the differences and through the years has become emboldened and embraces exactly the artist he is and wants to be. And we love him for that.

In everything he does, he always opts for the best and this is especially true of his band of class musicians. Headed by the masterful pianist Charl du Plessis, both Spies (bass) and Auret (drums) add to the individuality with their own musical flair. Add to that trio of perfection Juan Oosthuizen whose mastery with the guitar is legendary. Their performance is bliss.

It’s rare to have the accompaniment of such unusual talent, but Nataniël has always been secure in his own performance and knowledge that exquisite music enhances his singing, the real reason he loves performing.

The balance of stories and songs is important because the songs give you a reprieve from the density and sheer delight of the stories as well as a chance to breathe as you appreciate the excellence of what you are witnessing. And with time and maturity, Nataniël’s voice is richer, the music more nuanced and the singer has perfected his authentic sound.

I have always been captivated by what this artist brings to the stage because it is so unique, put together with boundless imagination and because of the inspired stories – a new play with every show he presents – each season is an explosion of the extraordinary. He has been a blessing to local audiences because of who he is and the riches he presents on stage.

The rarity of his creativity is a joy to behold. May he keep being the wonderfully colourful creation who once, twice, or if we’re lucky, three times a year holds us in the palm of his hand as he takes us wandering with wonderment into a world that is as charming as it is complicated.

Bookings: seatme.co.za

TROU- EN SPEELMAATS CINTAINE SCHUTTE EN CAREL NEL MAAK ‘n BEGIN BY DIE MARK TEATER

~ debeernecessities

KLEUR FOTOS: Gys Loubser

SWART EN WIT FOTOS: Stephanie Gericke

Cintaine Schutte en Carel Nel speel nie aldag op die verhoog saam nie, maar die tyd is reg. Die twee gesels met DIANE DE BEER oor hulle jongste stuk ‘n Begin, wat Donderdag 30 Januarie by die Mark Teater in Johannesburg begin, oor hulle prosesse:

Cintaine Schutte en Carel Nel in rehearsals (links) saam met Tinarie van Wyk Loots (regisseur) en verhoogbestuurder Lize-Marie Wait (regs)

HOEWEL hulle werkprosesse baie verskil, is daar darem baie voordele ook aan saamwerk.

“Hoe nader ons kom aan die speelvak by die Mark Teater (Johannesburg), is dit net ‘n luuksheid dat ek dadelik ‘n wordrun kan doen saam met Carel in die sitkamer of ons kan praat oor die karakters,” vertel Cintaine.

“Maar natuurlik is daar altyd tussen hom en my ‘n Cintaine en Carel. Daar’s ‘n tyd wanneer ons praat oor werk en daars ‘n tyd wanneer ons nie praat oor werk nie, want ons moet ook lewe tussenin, en ek moet dit ook respekteer.”

Sy is iemand wat te veel wil praat oor werk, en dikwels belaai met notaboekies en bladsye vol geskryf. “Dan sien ek vir Carel  op die bank lê en as ek vra ‘wat doen jy’, dan sê hy, hy dink aan die scenes en hoe dit uitspeel in sy kop.

 “Ek moet dit op die bladsy hê.  Ek dink ook dis belangrik om nie altyd uit te vra oor sy werkproses nie, want dan verras jy jouself op die vloer. As ek uit ‘n gemaklike plek uit speel, kan ek enige iets regkry. Vir my is voorbereiding baie groot.”

Carel besef dat almal anders  werk. “Ek het nog nooit met ‘n akteur gewerk wat presies dieselfde werksprosesse as ek het nie. Dis normaal, en jy moet dit maar net respekteer. Elke persoon werk anders. Solank die eindresultaat positief is, gee ek nie rerig om hoe die ander  se prosesse werk nie.”

Vir hom is die belangrikste om by die waarheid van die stuk uit te kom en die eerlikheid daarin vind. En egos moenie deel van die proses wees nie.

“Dis die eerste maal in ‘n lang tyd dat die twee van ons saamwerk maar as vervaardiger toe ek eers besluit het dat Tinarie van Wyk Loots (onder links) die regisseur is, het ek haar die keuse laat maak van wie my Daniel sou wees. Sy het nie eerse tweekeer gedink nie, en dadelik Carel voorgestel want sy het gesê dit kort ‘n akteur met gravitas en sy het al met Carel gewerk met Baby I Love You.”

Cintaine  was dadelik opgewonde oor die saamwerk. “Hy is natuurlik ‘n goeie akteur, en daar sou ‘n shorthand tussen ons wees maar ek was ook bietjie huiwerig dat man en vrou in regte lewe op die verhoog gaan staan. Maar dit is waar die verbeelding van teater inkom waar ons verdwyn in die karakters.

 “Ek het ook iemand gekies wie se spelleiding baie sterk moet wees en daarom het ek as vervaardiger vir Tinarie gekies.”

Sy weet sy sal die vertroue wat hulle in die regte lewe het verplaas na die  verhoog en nie te veel druk daarop plaas nie. En dan kyk waar die kreatiewe proses hulle neem. Maar sy wil ook seker maak dat hulle lekker  kan  speel  en  fun  kan hê met die stuk.

Hoewel  Carel vier of   vyf   jaar laas  op die verhoog was  gaan hy  die  stuk   benader soos enige ander stuk met enige ander akteur of aktrise. “Julle moet mekaar toelaat om julle eie prosesse te volg en dis wat ons doen.”

Cintaine vertel dat hulle aan die begin van verlede jaar iewers in Europa saam  op ‘n trein was toe iets  vir  haar  fluister  dat sy weer lus is om te vervaardig. Kies ‘n stuk wat jy sal wil doen, is verder gefluister.

“Toe dink sy aan ‘n two-hander want dit is miskien beter as ‘n groot rolverdeling. Mens  wil soms groot gaan maar dis moeilike tye.”

Met navorsing kom sy op David Eldridge se Beginning af, bestel die play, kry dit en begin lees. Dit het haar gevang. Dit is ‘n stuk wat haar geraak en gepraat het.

“Laura is 38 en Daniel is 42 en dit raak baie punte aan van gesprekke wat ek al met my vriende gehad het, die psige van mense ons ouderdom. Dis ‘n baie naturalistiese play in die sin dat dit speel in regte tyd oor 80 minute, daar’s geen truuks of twists of plot -turns nie. Dis net ‘n slice of life.

“Hierdie stuk praat met my en ek het gedink ek moet iemand on board kry wat vertaling goed ken en wat dit kan lokaliseer.  Ek besluit toe op Nico Scheepers juis omdat ek al met hom gewerk het met Tienduisend Ton en ‘n fliek wat hy ook vertaal het.

“Die speelbaarheid het ook baie te maak met die vertaling en ek dink Nico het baie goeie werk gedoen.”  Tog met die eerste week van repetisies het sy, Carel, Tinarie en hulle verhoogbestuurder Lize-Marie Wait ook gesit en  dit hulle eie gemaak. “Ons het gesny waar ons gedink het maar nie te ver van Nico se vertaling verwerk nie, maar ons eie stempel daarop  afgedruk.”

Nou kan hulle met repetisies dit eg Suid Afrikaans hou, en die twee mense wat in die Kaap woon met eerlikheid speel.

Cintaine vertel dat daar baie verskillende temas aangeraak word en dat die skrywer baie lekker stories vertel. Die stuk het al oor die hele wêreld gespeel en die skrywer en sy agent was baie opgewonde oor die Suid Afrikaanse speelvak.

Vir haar as vervaardiger is dit ook lekker om van die sukses te hoor. “The proof is in the pudding, en juis omdat dit in soveel lande gespeel het, beteken dat dit praat met mense.”

Vir Carel is die temas wat uitstaan,  eensaamheid in die moderne wêreld. Dit handel oor mense van hulle ouderdom, laat 30s en vroeë 40s, hoe om iemand te vind in liefde en in vriendskap in die moderne wêreld van Tinder, Facebook en Instagram.

 “Hoe navigate jy om iemand te ontmoet. Dit klink dalk of dit makliker is  maar dit kompliseer eintlik dinge,”  sê Carel. “Dit maak dit anders,  en op daai ouderdom is mense getroud of geskei, hulle kom met baie baggage, so dis ook wat elke persoon saamdra. Wanneer jy iemand nuuts ontmoet is daar allerhande goeters wat jy uitvind.

“Die skryfwerk is baie naturalisties, dis twee mense wat mekaar ontmoet aan die einde van ‘n aand na ‘n partytjie, en ek dink Nico het ‘n baie goeie vertaling gedoen soos altyd. Dis net ‘n blik op die lewe, dis 90 minute waarin twee mense mekaar ontmoet vir die eerste keer, maar albei het ‘n verlede.”

Cintaine se karakter is Laura, 38 jarige vrou, en ‘n besturende direkteur by haar maatskappy. Sy is baie suksesvol, het sopas ‘n woonstel in Sandton gekoop en dit was haar housewarming  

“Sy is ‘n interessante kat en dit is so lekker om met Tinarie te werk want sy gee my so baie insig, verskillende perspektiewe om hierdie karakters in fully-fleshed mense te verander.”

Hulle hoop gehore sal hulleself of ander in die karakters herken.

“Laura is baie ver verwyderd van my af, en nou dat ek ‘n breuk gehad het na verlede jaar se Woordfees, is dit lekker dat ek weer bietjie kan deepdive in haar psige. Sy het ‘n baie goeie selfbeeld, lyk na ‘n baie sterk vrou, en sy sê haar vriende is jaloers op haar, die aande uit, die sukses. Sy is so in beheer van haar eie lewe.”

Dis hoe dit voorkom sê Cintaine, maar onder draai die duiwels rond. “Diep, diep binne is sy baie alleen en eensaam. Sy wil ook die wit trourok he, die kinders, ‘n familie. Sy wil ook iemand na haar huis toe kan nooi om te kuier. Dis maar die primere behoeftes van menswees en sy het dit nie in haar lewe nie.”

As dit by Cintaine kom wat haarself beskryf as  “‘n groot empath”, sy het empatie met Laura, maar sy  sal moet diep gaan delf om daai eerlikheid te kan speel wanneer sy uitkom by hierdie vreemdeling.

“Want ek dink nie sy deel verskriklik baie nie, sy bou mure op waar ek self so min mure het dat ek te baie deel. Maar as sy met Daniel begin deel, dan sien ons wat gebeur as daardie mure afgebreek word, en hoe die eerlikheid uitkom.”

“Daniel is ook baie anders as ek, dra baie bagasie saam met hom rond,en het baie verkeerde besluite geneem in sy lewe,” vertel Carel. “Hy is alleen en op soek na iets. Ek dink hy soek na human connection as gevolg van omstandighede en waar hy is in sy lewe hy is.

“Hy is baie anders as ek maar tot ‘n mate tog die selle. Elke mens soek maar connection, dis alles goeters wat jy verstaan. Hy’s net gewone man wat soek na die dinge wat ons almal wil he.

“Ek hoop mense geniet dit obviously, ek hoop hulle lag want ek vind van dit nogal komies en snaaks en ek hoop mense hou van die karakters want hulle is gewone mense met goeie harte wat eintlik net hulle pad deur hierdie wêreld probeer vind en ek hoop tot ‘n mate dat die gehoorlede sal voel asof hulle voyeuristies (nie op weird manier nie),  kyk hoe mense mekaar ontmoet, die op en af van nuwe verhoudings, dis wat ek hoop wat mense sal ervaar.”

Vir Cintaine as vervaardiger is dit ‘n groot eer om in een van ons land se beste teaters te kan speel en die stuk na Gautengse gehore te kan bring. Butterflies is daar, sê  sy maar daar is niks lekkerder as om op ‘n verhoog te staan met ‘n gehoor nie. “Hulle voel amper vir my soos deel van die stuk, nog ‘n karakter. Die energie is so tasbaar in daai 90 minute, mens moet maar duimvas hou dat dit werk.”

Maar die ergste lekker lê vir haar by die optel repetisies wanneer jy kan werk aan die stuk en so gemaklik as moontlik kan wees voor jy op die verhoog klim.

Vir Carel is dit sy eerste liefde. Dis wat hy geswot het, intussen paar liefdes bygekry, “Cintaine is een van hulle maar ook televisie en film en baie lekker om terug te wees … op die verhoog.”

Vir“hom is die lekkerte altyd die repetisie periode want “as jy begin en jy  kry die ritmes, is dit amper soos jou eie klein geheimpie en ek hou nogal daarvan om dit vir myself te hou. Dan kom die anxieties van nou moet ons dit deel met ander mense. Gaan jy gejudge word, is jy goed genoeg. maar jy kom oor dit alles en beweeg terug na die eerlikheid van die storie wat jy met mense wil deel. Jy leer om met die anxieties saam te leef.”

“As die stuk lekker speel, is dit ‘n wen situasie, en as mens by ‘n teater kan speel en ons sal graag na verskillede feeste wil reis,” sê Cintaine oor die verloop van die stuk.

Sy speel ook bietjie met die idee omdat sy die laaste paar jaar huiskonserte gedoen het dat mens  die stuk in iemand se sitkamer kan doen. Maar sy besef ook sy  moet  haar mede akteur respekteer en dit sal afhang of hy dit sal wil doen, getroud of nie.

Dit is ‘n baie anderste energie en tipe intimiteit wat jy jouself voor oopmaak, vertel sy, maar miskien is dit tog iets wat die stuk voor vra. “Die tyd sal leer,” sê sy.

Vir Carel sal dit  afhang van sy beskikbaarheid,  sê hy tong-stewig-in-kies. “Maar sy sal maar my beskikbaarheid moet check, want ek is soms nogal besig.”

En ons wat teater kyk, hou duimvas dat dit goed gaan met die twee – deesdae gesoute -akteurs, en dat hule die land deur speel met ‘n Begin.

*Die twee toegewyde akteurs het vrae beantwoord terwyl hulle luilekker in Griekeland getoer het verlede jaar voor die Woordfees speelvak. Die het intussen suksesvol plaasgevind met baie goeie terugvoer. Dit open 30 Januarie by Johannesburg se ikoniese Mark Teater en die speelvak is tot 16 Februarie.

Om te bespreek:

https://www.webticket.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1558065074

WORDS OF WONDERMENT FOR THE QUEEN OF PANTO

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BY DIANE DE BEER

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

DIRECTOR/SCRIPTWRITER: Janice Honeyman

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Timothy le Roux

SOUND DESIGNER: Akhona Bozo

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Sandy Dyer

LIGHTING DESIGNER: Johan Ferreira

COSTUME DESIGNER: Mariska Meyer

CHOREOGRAPHER: Khaya Ndlovu

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Andrew Timm

SET DESIGNER AND BUILDER: Enos Ramoroko

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Dale Ray

THE CAST AND THE BAND: Too many to list

VENUE: Joburg Theatre

DATES: Until December 22

Dear Janice,

Driving back from this year’s pantomime (the children of the kids who first used to accompany me are now my annual companions) I thought it was time that I should write a more personal letter of thanks and admiration rather than the usual review.

Not being at a newspaper any longer and posting on my personal blog, I have the right, I think. Also, between the two of us, you have probably/arguably written and  produced more pantomimes than anyone else, definitely in this country and probably out there in the big world too; and I have probably watched and reviewed more than many can claim.

The genre as such isn’t my favourite and you have many other theatrical accomplishments in case anyone should think this is the only thing you do. But because of you, I make a distinction between a panto and a Janice panto, and as I mentioned in the review of Aspoestertjie (currently running in Pretoria), you have raised the bar for anyone who wants to participate in this field.

There isn’t any chance that I would have managed year by year if not for your genius and innovation. Being who you are, I know you would have been bored to death as anyone would have been, if you didn’t set a particular challenge for yourself. And perhaps that was what saved us both.

I was sitting in a packed Joburg Theatre on a Sunday with a show starting at noon and the aircon struggling with the current heat. Watching the audience, there were many kids but many couples or friends without youngsters too. It’s an institution and one you established and nurtured and grew to what it is. Small wonder they don’t want to let you go!

The text, which is always current and probably the thing most cherished by the adults, is as always on the mark with bullies a strong theme. That’s no surprise, but I love the way you wangle to be political without offending anyone.

You always have your finger on the  pulse and have managed to work your way with casts which now fully represent the country without too much fanfare, you just did it. And this mirror of our society at a season that has such mass appeal is probably one of your strongest achievements. Few would have managed in such an easy fashion while showing the best of the country without bashing anyone on the head.

I know this is unfair, but allow me the indulgence. Cast and musicians were fantastic, but there were five that deserve special mention: Bongi Archi (aboveas the Good Fairy (Mama’ama’bali); Virtuous Kandemiri as Beauty-Belle; Judy Ditchfield having an absolute ball as Hectate-Hex, the wicked witch; and Lesedi Rich as Doodlesakkie The Donkey; and lest we forget, Chrissie-Anna Mampoer as the guest newsreader.

Through the decades you have been gifted technological advances, but the wonderment of that is to see how you have applied that in such a wonderful way. This time it’s the way you blend the players from their digital images to the live performers.

Also the sets, the in jokes which some might miss but it doesn’t matter. It keeps viewers on their toes. The six-year-old was curious about some of the adult laughter and that’s also a good thing. There’s a lesson there every once in a while.

I truly loved your Hitchcock moment this time. You managed to display almost all your different skills as well as showing that you’ve still got it – and will always keep forging ahead.

You are an example of a true artist. Someone who could probably have stopped through the years, but you simply cannot resist. For that I’m grateful. Your casting of the young and the old, the experienced and the newbies, each one of them bringing something unique to the stage and the story, also contributes to the success.

Even your choice of Timothy le Roux as assistant director and company manager looks ahead, as you made sure you don’t go without leaving some institutional memory and knowledge behind. If anyone was there to watch and learn it was this artist who started in the arts as a ballet dancer and followed that by crafting and creating his own way on the production side in this very tough profession.

To everyone’s delight, it’s the usual spectacular pantomime, but the reason we could say that time and again from one decade to the next, is you, Janice Honeyman.

And for me to say this about pantomime is all your doing.

Thanks for the magic and the memories!

I don’t have to preach to the converted and for those of you who need to introduce youngsters to the enchantment of live theatre, this is it.

FROM A FAN

PRETORIA HAS ITS OWN FANCY PANTOMIME THIS YEAR AND IT GETS A CELEBRATORY THUMBS UP

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Review by DIANE DE BEER

Aspoestertjie and the ensemble.

ASPOESTERTJIE DIE PANTOMIME presented by OAK ENTERTAINMENT

DIRECTOR: Ferdinand Gernandt

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jaco Smit

CHOREOGRAPHY Tarryn Botha

CAST: Afrikaans singer Leah (Aspoestertjie);  Marno van der Merwe (Prins Jan-Percy); Carmen Pretorius (stiefma Mevrou Violetta Esterhuizen); Grant Towers en Schoeman Smit (stiefsusters Marabella en Amaranta); Elsje Lourens (Feetjie peetma) as well as Donae Brazer, Duandre Vorster, Jemma Gradwell, Jonathan Raath, Lindi Niemand, Monique Barnard, Rainy van Zyl, Tristin Indigo, Tseamo Mapukata and Zante Marais to complete the ensemble

TICKETS: http://www.afriforumteater.co.za/event-details?event=aspoestertjie-die-pantomime or at the box office at the Afriforum Theatre, Menlo Park

VENUE: Afriforum Theatre

DATES: Until December 13

PICTURES: Supplied by OAK Entertainment

The scheming step-mom and a forlorn Cindy.

For the first time in decades Pretoria has a pantomime to be proud of.

Gauteng has grown accustomed to the Janice Honeyman spectaculars at the Joburg Theatre and that is also happening, which meant that my expectations were put on hold when I went to the first preview of this production.

I was also prepared to give them some slack because of the early attendance but it’s a short run and I wanted to get the word out there – especially if, as in this case, it is good.

It’s much better than that. It all starts with the script, which is original and funny  – and  has some real edge to keep the adults happy while the youngsters get the drift of this thoroughly modern Cinderella tale with many twists and turns.

Add to that a cast that have been rehearsed to within an inch of their lives and there was very little to complain of.

The prince and the two ugly sisters.
Let’s all go to the masked ball!

It’s also good to see that they’re prepared to take some chances, like the vibrant, young Elsje Lourens cast as the fairy godmother, Tina Tydreis. She’s the one who has to set the tone and pace of the production and has no problems doing just that. There’s bounce in every move and she immediately engages the audience in her particular telling of this over-the-top tale.

Pantomimes rely heavily on a handful of actors who have to keep everything together. The romantic leads, in this instance Leah and Marno as Cinderella and her prince, have to keep the little hearts racing. I had a youngster right next to me who was terrified she would not witness the final embrace.

With Lourens, the two deliciously decorative ugly sisters (Towers and Smit) and probably the celebrity of the show, Carmen Pretorius as the achingly precious stepmother, they especially  knew how to keep the show on its toes and the laughter rolling while playing their parts to the hilt and singing their songs magnificently.

It truly was a treat and I was thrilled that Pretoria finally stood up to challenge their neighbouring city with some panto excellence. I know Ms Honeyman will welcome the competition and she will delight in witnessing the results of the standard she has set other professionals in this particular field.

Pantomime isn’t as easy as it looks. Everyone is having a merry old time but if your cast doesn’t have the energy and elegance to pull it off, the audience won’t engage.

This one did. From the youngsters to a row of elderly women, everyone was shaking with laughter and delight throughout and for me, someone who has seen far too many pantos in her life, the fiesty and fresh approach, and the sheer excellence of the presentation, was a highlight.

It wasn’t that I was expecting to experience doom and gloom, but the standard was unexpected and something that blew me away.

Tseamo Mapukata (as Buttons, centre) has a magnificent voice and the rest of the cast are not too shabby either.

If you have children in the family, gather them and get tickets to join this talented gang in some lovely end-of-year entertainment. There’s not a weak link in sight and I would go especially to hear Tseamo Mapukata  who played Buttons sing.

What an exquisite voice. But none of the cast was too shabby.

Let’s hope we hear more from OAK Entertainment in the future, they certainly know how to put on a show!

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.