I first encountered the work of Ipeleng Merafe during this year’s Cape Town Fringe Festival where she was performing in #BalletMustFall, a satirical look into the world of ballet. A self-proclaimed modern-day gypsy, Ipeleng constantly finds herself on the move all in pursuit of her passion for dance. From South Africa to Paris to New York and more, Ipeleng is a supernova in the dance world who shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Welcome to Part two of our conversation with Anthea Thompson, Amy Louise Wilson and Emily Child, currently starring in The Fugard Theare’s sold out production of Florian Zeller’s The Father. Part one of our conversation can be found here. Continue reading
“Growing old is an inevitability we all face-Time waits for no man and as sure as taxes, the reaper will visit us all.”- Greg Karvellas.
Florian Zeller’s award-winning play The Father makes its South African premiere at The Fugard Theatre featuring an all-star cast led by the incomparable Marius Weyers. Translated into English by Christopher Hampton, The Father peers into the mind of Andre, a retired dancer living with his adult daughter Anne and her husband. Or is he a retired engineer receiving a visit from Anne who has moved away with her boyfriend? Why do strangers keep turning up in his room? And where has he left his watch? THE FATHER is a funny, sad and poignant roller coaster ride on a fight against insanity that twists and turns with all the excitement of a taut thriller. After spending an evening peering into the mind of Andre, we were fortunate to be granted the opportunity to peer into the minds of the female cast members of the show; Anthea Thompson, Amy Louise Wilson and Emily Child.
Luanna Shonfeld is one of the owners of Gate69, a new cabaret theatre that has taken Cape Town by storm. Gate69 recently opened their doors to the public with the South African premiere of Hedwig and The Angry Inch. We sat down with Luanna (on the plush purple velvet couches at Gate69) to chat about the venue and her multifaceted career.
Professor Elizabeth Triegaardt has made a career out of her love and passion for dance. A former ballerina, Ms. Triegaardt currently holds the position of Honorary Executive Director of the Cape Town City Ballet, a company she has remained with and stayed fiercely loyal to since graduating from UCT. Her full bio and more information about upcoming Cape Town City Ballet productions will be linked below. Continue reading
Lisa Chait is a storyteller. Throughout the years her platforms may have changed, from teaching to radio and now founding Life Stories as well as hosting and producing SABC’s I Am Woman-Leap of Faith series, but her intention has always been the same, to share honest and compelling human stories.
Bianca Le Grange made a name for herself after competing on the first season of South African Idols. A few years, and a lot of hard work later, Bianca has become a full-fledged Musical Theatre leading lady tackling roles in David Kramer’s District 6 Kanala and Blood Brothers, for which she won a Naledi Award, Anita in West Side Story and most recently, as the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We sat down with Bianca before one of her final performances of Joseph to chat about the role, her return to Anita and her Musical Theatre journey. Continue reading
Loren Loubser is an actress who recently performed in Niqabi Ninja at The Cape Town Fringe Festival. I have been very vocal about my admiration for this powerful and necessary play. With abandon Loren performed as the title character alongside Bianca Flanders in the two-handler play. On top of being a performer, Loren along with Kelly-Eve Koopman and Kim Windvogel, has created an NPO called Femme Projects which empowers and educates young women. Continue reading
Opening this week at the Roxy Revue Bar, GrandWest, Shout! The Mod Musical follows the story of 5 women in the swinging 60’s. It is an inspiring celebration as we watch each of these women navigate womanhood and experience her own rite of passage to discover her true self through a decade of emotional highs and lows. What is also interesting to note is that Shout! centers around the fictitious Shout! Magazine: a magazine for the Modern Woman, so it was only fitting that Sarafina Magazine sat down with the cast to chat about the show. Ticket information and cast bios can be found at the end.
Sarafina Magazine 