Johannesburg – Sarafina Magazine

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.

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October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Artist, Arts, Interview, Joburg, Johannesburg, Opera, Performer, Production, Q&A, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Singer, South Africa, Theater, Theatre, Uncategorized, Vocalist, Woman, Women, WomxnTags: Art, Arts, Cantiamo- Mzansi Opera Celebration, Covid19, Fiona Walsh, Interview, Joburg, Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg, Kimmy Skota, Live performance, Mandela Theatre, Opera, Opera Singer, Performance, Performer, Q&A, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Singer, South Africa, Theater, Theatre Leave a comment

A Conversation with Claudine Ullman

Claudine Ullman is an actress, improviser, stand-up comedian, public speaker, facilitator, and the founder and managing director of the Jittery Citizens. Having completed her Bachelor’s of Arts at Wits University, Claudine travelled widely, refining her craft at some of the top international performance schools. In 2012, she formed The Jittery Citizens Improvised Comedy Troupe, performing alongside South Africa’s top theatre/comedic talent. The Jittery Citizens are now considered to be Johannesburg’s premiere Improvisation troupe and have performed to packed houses in various venues across South Africa. Claudine is also an established theatre creator and performer, having toured with her one-woman show Curled Up in 2011, as well as having recently completed a successful run at the Grahamstown Arts Festival in Wretched. In 2019, she debuted her one-woman show Artificially Infeminated, which has since gone on to tour nationally and internationally. She also makes up one-third of The Thunderbirds comedy trio.

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December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Advice, Arts, Cape Town, Comedian, Comedy, Conversation, Culture, Entertainment, Interview, Joburg, Johannesburg, Performer, Photography, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, South Africa, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, Womxn, writerTags: Actor, Actress, Advice, Artificially Infeminated, Cape Town, Catching Feelings, Chin Up, Claudine Ullman, Clown, Clowning, Comedian, Comedy, Conversation, Helikos, Improv, Jittery Citizens, Johannesburg, LISPA, Photography, South Africa, Television, The Second City, Thunderbirds, TV, Women, Wretched Leave a comment

A Conversation with Gina Shmukler

Gina Shmukler has been in the entertainment industry since she was six years old. In her career, her theatre work as an actress, director and producer, has garnered ten theatre nominations and four awards across different genres ranging from Mamma Mia and Chess, to Master Class and Silk Ties. In 2013, after completing her Master’s Degree in Drama at the University of Witwatersrand, Gina was the proud recipient of the Dr Sibongile Khumalo Creative Research Award. Her select directorial credits include; The Line, Lost in the Stars, Songs for a New World, The Market Theatre’s Brer Rabbit, Beautiful Creatures, Love: A Musical Revue, The Last Five Years and The Whole Megillah. Having taken a performance hiatus, Gina returned to the stage in 2017 in Mike van Graan’s Helen of Troyeville. At the end of 2018, she returned to her musical theatre roots by stepping into Aunty Merle the Musical, which makes its way to Joburg Theatre following three sold-out engagements in Cape Town.

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January 16, 2019January 16, 2019 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Advice, Artist, Arts, Baxter, Candice van Litsenborgh, Cape Town, Conversation, Culture, Dancer, Director, Interview, Joburg, Johannesburg, Musical, Now Playing, Performer, Photography, Playwright, Producer, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, South Africa, The Baxter, Theater, Theatre, Theatremaker, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, Womxn, writerTags: Actor, Actress, Advice, Aunty Merle, Candice van Litsenborgh, Canned Rice, Cape Town, Conversation, Dialect Coach, Director, Emotional Creature, Film, Gina Shmukler, Helen of Troyeville, Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg, Lara Foot, Lecturer, Mamma Mia, Marc Lottering, Performer, Photography, Playwright, Producer, Singer, South Africa, Television, The Baxter, The Line, Theater, Theatre, TV, Wits, Women 4 Comments

A Conversation with Claire Taylor

Claire Taylor is an actor, singer, dancer and voice artist. Her select credits include West Side Story, Rock of Ages (Naledi nomination), Dirty Dancing, Sunset Boulevard and Cabaret, for which she was nominated for a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award. She has worked in theatres and countries all over the world including Australia, Italy, China and the USA. She has also featured on various local and international voice campaigns. Claire is the founder and director of a promotional and events staffing agency, and experiential entertainment company, Promotiv, which she launched in January 2018. She is currently starring as Mrs Wormwood in the South African premiere of Matilda. Continue reading →

November 7, 2018 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Advice, Artist, Arts, Cape Town, Conversation, Dance, Dancer, Interview, Joburg, Johannesburg, Musical, Now Playing, Performer, Photographer, Photography, Pieter Toerien, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Singer, South Africa, Theater, Theatre, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, WomxnTags: Actor, Actress, Advice, Artscape, Business owner, Cabaret, Cape Town, Claire Taylor, Conversation, Dancer, Fleur du Cap, GWB Entertainment, Joburg, Johannesburg, Lucy Brittany Woolley, Matilda, Mrs Wormwood, Musical, Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Actress, Performer, Photographer, Photography, Pieter Toerien, Promotiv, PTP, Rock of Ages, Singer, South Africa, Teatro Montecasino, Theater, Theatre, Women Leave a comment

A Conversation with Dorothy Ann Gould

Dorothy Ann Gould is one of South Africa’s most celebrated and respected actresses. She has worked professionally for the past 50 years and has gone on to star in over 180 productions which have awarded her several of South Africa’s top accolades. She is also the founder of Johannesburg Awakening Minds, a theatre troupe comprised of 13 homeless gentlemen. Recently, Dorothy was honoured with a 2018 Naledi Award for Innovation in Theatre. She is currently starring in Joan Didion’s The Year Of Magical Thinking, based on her memoir, which has transferred to the Baxter Theatre following its successful run at the Market Theatre earlier this year. Continue reading →

July 11, 2018August 1, 2018 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Advice, Art, Artist, Arts, Baxter, Cape Town, Conversation, Director, Interview, Johannesburg, Now Playing, Performer, Photography, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Shakespeare, South Africa, The Baxter, Theater, Theatre, Theatremaker, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, WomxnTags: Actor, Actress, Advice, Baxter Theatre, Candice van Litsenborgh, Cape Town, Conversation, Director, Dorothy Ann Gould, Film, Fleur du Cap award, JAM, Joan Didion, Johannesburg, Johannesburg Awakening Minds, Market Theatre, Molora, Naledi Award, Performance, Photography, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Shakespeare, South Africa, Stevie Smith, Talleys Folly, Television, The Bird Watchers, The Year Of Magical Thinking, Theater, Theatre, Theatremaker, TV, Women 7 Comments

A Conversation with Louisa Talbot

Choreographer and dancer Louisa Talbot became a soloist in the Cape Dance Company at the age of 13, specialising in contemporary and classical dance. She became a member of Jazzart Dance Theatre and went on to freelance for Free Flight Dance Company and Bovim Ballet. In 2004, Louisa started her musical theatre career with the musical Show Boat. She began choreographing musicals for The Fugard Theatre in 2013 and went on to be nominated for a Best Choreography Naledi Theatre Award for The Rocky Horror Show. Other theatre choreography credits include Cabaret, Funny Girl and West Side Story which is currently running at Artscape in its return Cape Town season. Continue reading →

March 21, 2018April 2, 2019 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Arts, Cape Town, Choreographer, Conversation, Dance, Dancer, Interview, Photographer, Photography, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, South Africa, The Fugard, Theater, Theatre, Uncategorized, West Side Story, Woman, WomenTags: Cabaret, CAPA, Cape Dance Company, Cape Town, Choreographer, Choreography, Conversation, Creative Team, Dance, Dancer, Funny Girl, Johannesburg, Louisa Talbot, Musical, Naledi Award, Rocky Horror, Sarafina Magazine, South Africa, The Fugard, Theater, Theatre, West Side Story Leave a comment

A Conversation with Veronica Paeper

Prolific choreographer and ballet dancer, Veronica Paeper has created more than 40 ballets, among them sixteen full-length works. During her performing career Veronica rose to become a principal dancer with three South African companies; CAPAB Ballet, PACT Ballet and PACOFS Ballet. Her latest production, Carmen, is a restaging of her award-winning choreography and makes its way to Joburg Ballet for a limited engagement. Continue reading →

March 14, 2018 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Artist, Arts, Ballet, Choreographer, Conversation, Culture, Dance, Dancer, Interview, Joburg, Joburg Ballet, Johannesburg, Now Playing, Photography, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, South Africa, Theater, Theatre, Uncategorized, Woman, WomenTags: Ballet, Carmen, Chanel Katz, Choreographer, Choreography, Conversation, Dance, Dancer, David Poole, Frank Staff, Joburg Ballet, Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg, Opinion, Photography, Veronica Paeper 3 Comments

A Conversation with Jo da Silva

For the last 25 years, Jo da Silva has had an extensive career in TV, film, radio and theatre. After a decade long hiatus from theatre, she makes her much-anticipated return to the stage juggling two roles in Noël Coward’s Present Laughter presented at Theatre on the Bay before jumping into Fatal Attraction which will play Theatre on the Bay and Pieter Toerien’s Monte Casino Theatre in Johannesburg. We sat down with her to chat about the show, her career and surving portraying the “most hated woman in the history of South African television.” Continue reading →

February 28, 2018November 17, 2019 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Arts, Cape Town, Conversation, Culture, Film, Interview, Now Playing, Performer, Photography, Pieter Toerien, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, South Africa, Television, Theater, Theatre, Theatre on The Bay, Uncategorized, Woman, WomenTags: 7de laan, Actor, Actress, Advice, Cape Town, Conversation, Farce, Fatal Attraction, Gita McGregor, Isidingo, Jesse Kramer, Jesse Kramer Photography, Jo da Silva, Johannesburg, Monte Casino, Noel Coward, Performance, Photography, Pieter Toerien, Present Laughter, Sewende Laan, Soapie, South Africa, Television, Theater, Theatre, Theatre on The Bay, TV, Women 1 Comment

A Conversation with Lesedi Job

Lesedi Job is an actress and director. Lesedi made her directorial debut in 2017 with Mike van Graan’s When Swallows Cry at the Market Theatre and went on to win the Sophie Mgcina Emerging Voice Award. The production, which has transferred to Cape Town, is currently running at the Baxter Theatre. An accomplished performer in her own right, Lesedi received a Naledi Theatre Award nomination for her role in Lara Foot’s Fishers of Hope. Continue reading →

February 14, 2018February 14, 2018 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Arts, Baxter, Candice van Litsenborgh, Cape Town, Conversation, Culture, Director, Interview, Johannesburg, Now Playing, Performer, Photography, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, South Africa, The Baxter, Theater, Theatre, Theatremaker, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, WomxnTags: Actor, Actress, Advice, Baxter Theatre, Candice van Litsenborgh, Cape Town, Conversation, Director, Fishers of Hope, Johannesburg, Lesedi Job, Mike van Graan, Opinion, Performer, Photography, Sophie Mgcina Emerging Voice Award, South Africa, The Market Theatre, Theater, Theatre, When Swallows Cry, Women 1 Comment

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 →

September 13, 2017September 13, 2017 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Artist, Arts, Cape Town, Conversation, Dance, Dancer, Interview, Joburg, Johannesburg, Musical, Now Playing, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Singer, Songwriter, The Fugard, Theater, Theatre, Uncategorized, Woman, WomenTags: Actor, Actress, Advice, Arts, Cape Town, Conversation, Dance, Dancer, Film, Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg, Jonathan Munby, Joyce, King Kong, Linda Bukhosini, Miriam Makeba, music, Musical, Nondumiso Tembe, Opera, Performance, Performer, Singer, Songwriter, Television, The Fugard, Theater, Theatre, TV, Women Leave a comment

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