A Q&A with Kimmy Skota

Kimmy Skota is a world-renowned opera singer, best known for her performances with acclaimed Dutch violinist Andre Rieu, which led to her touring and performing around the globe. She has won several awards, including at the SAMRO International Singing Competition in 2008. Her opera repertoire includes Gilda in Rigoletto, Tatjana in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Sophie in Werther, Kristine in Miss Julie, Despina in Cosi fan Tutte and Papagena in The Magic Flute. Her oratorio work includes The Messiah and The Creation. She also performed with Richard Cock in his Starlight Concert and Night at the Proms and has worked with internationally-renowned conductors including Kamal Khan and Sebastian Lang-Lessing. On October 22nd and 23rd, Kimmy will be performing in Cantiamo – Mzansi Opera Celebration, a performance which will reopen the Joburg Theatre, as well as being streamed online. 

Continue reading

Advertisement

A Conversation with Simoné Benjamin

Simoné Benjamin is a stage, screen and radio actress and the Corporate Affairs Specialist at Distell. With an Instagram handle aptly named Corporate Actress SA, her work with Distell sees her merging the corporate and arts sectors as she initiates, manages and supports various arts projects including the Distell National Playwright Competition, the Technical Training Programme at Artscape, the Amazink Live programme as part of Woordfees and the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, to name a few. As a performer, she has featured as the titular character in the radio drama Die Verdwyning van Mina Afrika as well as it’s sequel Die Tuiskoms van Mina Afrika. Simoné was most recently seen on screen in the short film Janneman, which debuted at this year’s Silwerskermfees Continue reading

A Conversation with Janni Younge

Janni Younge is a director and producer of multimedia, theatrical and visual performance works, with an emphasis on puppetry arts. Janni’s work has been performed widely internationally and she has gone on to be awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Theatre, several Fleur du Cap awards for puppet design and the Nagroda award for direction. A former director of Handspring Puppet Company for four years, she currently runs Janni Younge Productions and concurrently directs UNIMA SA. Janni’s works include the creation and direction of Ouroboros which toured extensively in South Africa, Europe and India, The Firebird which toured in the USA and Take Flight, currently touring Europe. With Handspring, Janni also directed revivals of William Kentridge’s Woyzeck on the Highveld and Ubu and the Truth Commission and worked with Handspring on War Horse and on the Bristol Old Vic’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also created and directed puppetry for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Tempest.

Continue reading

A Conversation with Carmen Pretorius

Carmen Pretorius is a Naledi and Fleur du Cap nominated musical theatre and television actress, qualified makeup artist and presenter. After getting her professional start by winning the televised High School Musical competition, she went on to star in notable productions including Mamma Mia, Footloose, Jersey Boys and most recently The Sound of Music, which sees her taking on the role of Maria. We sat down with Carmen, ahead of the final week of the production, to chat about her “metamorphic” journey with the show.

Continue reading

A Conversation with Ukhona Ntsali Mlandu

Ukhona Ntsali Mlandu is an Arts Manager, Curator and Facilitator. During the last few years she has worked alongside some of South Africa’s leading arts institutions and organisations including Artscape where she spent several years heading up their Resource Center, PANSA, FTH:K and Siyasanga Cape Town Theatre Company before going on to become an independent Arts Manager. She has launched her latest project makwande.republic, a residency program set in the heart of her hometown village in the Eastern Cape. We sat down with her to chat about moving back home, creating makwande.republic and having to coin a new phrase to encompasses her multi-faceted career.
Continue reading

A Conversation with Edith Plaatjies

Vocalist and actress, Edith Plaatjies is no stranger to the musical theatre stage. In the past five years she has dazzled audiences in productions such as Orpheus in Africa, District Six: Kanala and Blood Brothers, but it is her latest role that has everyone buzzing. As King Kong prepares to make its return to Cape Town, Edith is stepping into the iconic role of ‘Joyce.’ A role which launched its originator, Miriam Makeba, into international stardom.  Continue reading

A Conversation with Nondumiso Tembe

When The Fugard Theatre announced their plans to bring King Kong back to the South African stage, the pressure was on for them to find a woman bold enough to step into the iconic role of Joyce. After a two year search which spanned the world, Nondumiso Tembe was finally cast in the highly coveted role. Born in South Africa and raised in New York City, Nondumiso Tembe is the real deal. An accomplished stage and screen actress as well as a singer-songwriter and dancer, she has managed to excel in every medium that she has stepped into while remaining incredibly grounded and focused on her career. For a full biography, please click here. Continue reading

A Conversation with Khanyisile Mbongwa

Khanyisile Mbongwa is an artist and co-curator of Infecting the City, a multi-disciplinary public arts festival that takes place in the heart of Cape Town. As an artist, Khanyisile’s work has taken her all over the world and won her numerous awards. Currently, she is a Mellon Scholar at The Institute for Creative Arts at UCT.  Continue reading

A Conversation with Hayleigh Evans

Hayleigh Evans is a theatremaker and co-founder of POPArt, an independent Johannesburg based theatre, production company and performing arts centre that is located in the heart of Maboneng. Now in its 6th year, POPArt has become a staple in the Johannesburg theatre industry and has helmed some of South Africa’s most exciting, edgy and celebrated work. Continue reading

Meet the Cast of Rent part 2

Following its run in Cape Town, The Stephan Fourie Theatre Company’s production of Rent is making its way to Johannesburg. We sat down with the three principal actresses in the show, Nadine Suliaman, Emily Adair and Namisa Mdlalose who play the roles of Mimi, Maureen and Joanne, respectively. You can read part one of our chat with the female ensemble of Rent by clicking hereContinue reading