It’s that time of year again…Maynardville makes its triumphant return, this time tackling Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night directed by Geoffrey Hyland. Earlier this week we sat down with Twelfth Night’s two leading ladies, who are both making their Maynardville debuts; Awethu Hleli who is portraying the role of shipwrecked twin Viola and Elizabeth Akudugu who is playing Olivia. Continue reading
Bianca Flanders is the latest addition to The Fugard Theatre’s smash-hit production of David Kramer’s District Six- Kanala. Recently joining the show in its third incarnation, Bianca has managed to make the role her own. She has also starred in Blood Brothers, Orpheus in Africa and Niqabi Ninja which ran last year during The Cape Town Fringe Festival. Bianca kindly sat down to chat with us after a performance of District Six- Kanala. Continue reading
Nicola Date is a Cape Town based actress, designer and arts manager. Currently she holds the position of theatre manager of The Masque Theatre. A jack of all trades, Nicola is also the writer of her one-woman show The Worst Auditioner in the World which had a successful run at The Alexander Bar last year. Continue reading
Fleur du Cap award-winner Lynelle Kenned returns to her role of Maria in The Fugard Theatre’s production of West Side Story which makes its Johannesburg transfer. A trained opera singer, this soprano has quickly established herself as a presenter and musical theatre leading lady. Credits, and talent aside, something that is incredibly striking about Lynelle is how she seems to radiate pure positivity and joy when talking about her career making it known that not only was she born to have this career but that she is living her dream.
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Donna Cormack-Thomson may be the new kid on the block but she has already taken the Cape Town theatre scene by storm. In her one short year since graduating from the UCT School of Drama, she has performed in Monster at The Cape Town Fringe Festival, The White Whore and The Bit Player at the Alexander Bar and now she is putting her spin on ‘Melody’ in The Fugard Theatre’s smash-hit return production of Bad Jews. Continue reading
Candice van Litsenborgh is someone that is easy to obsess over. A multi-hyphanate, she is primarily a performer but has also formed her own production company, Canned Rice, where she seamlessly seems to do it all, from writing to producing to designing and even headshot photography. In the last few years Candice has become a staple in the South African musical theatre scene and has started producing her own work, the most recent being Court, a straight play which had a sold-out run at The Alexander Bar. Currently she is performing in Annie at the Artscape and is about to start rehearsals for her next big musical, the South African premiere of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
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Jabu Nadia Newman is a filmmaker and photographer. Her latest project, The Foxy Five has taken South Africa by storm. The Foxy Five tells the story of a group of womxn in Cape Town as they navigate their multi-faceted lives all while figuring out their own definition of feminism while fighting against the patriarchy. Jabu’s work is uniquely unapologetic and current, giving a voice to her generation and their complexities.
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.
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
Sarafina Magazine 