A Conversation with Candice van Litsenborgh

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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A Conversation with Jabu Nadia Newman

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.

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A Conversation with Ipeleng Merafe

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.

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A Conversation with Anthea Thompson, Amy Louise Wilson and Emily Child: The Women of The Father part 2

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

A Conversation with Anthea Thompson, Amy Louise Wilson and Emily Child: The Women of The Father part 1

“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.

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A Conversation with Luanna Shonfeld

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.

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A Conversation with Bianca Le Grange

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

A Conversation with Loren Loubser

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

Meet the Cast of Shout!

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.

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A Conversation with Ameera Conrad

Ameera Conrad is a writer, director, actress and one of the Theatre Arts Admin Collective Emerging Young Director’s bursary winners. Currently she is starring in The Fall at The Baxter, a play which she also helped workshop and co-directs. Her new play Reparation, which she has written and will direct, will be produced later this year. Her resume is already impressive but what may surprise many is that Ameera graduated from UCT less than a year ago.

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