Naledi Award – Sarafina Magazine

A Conversation with Didintle Khunou

Didintle Khunou is an award-winning screen actor, theatre performer, voice actor and session vocalist. Best known for her portrayal of one of the most coveted roles in musical theatre, Celie, in the Grammy, Tony and Naledi Award-winning musical, The Color Purple directed by award-winning director Janice Honeyman at the Joburg Theatre. Didintle was honoured with the Naledi Award as well as the Broadway World Online Award for her performance as Celie. She played Yerma in an adaptation of Yerma, directed by Rajesh Gopie and was also seen in Joburg Theatre’s production of Bertolt Brecht’s epic play, The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Didintle has had numerous television appearances including Mamello, Single Galz and The Throne. She is currently starring as Janet in the South African tour of The Rocky Horror Show.
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December 11, 2019 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Advice, Artist, Arts, Artscape, Cape Town, Conversation, Dancer, Interview, Joburg, Johannesburg, music, Musical, Now Playing, Performer, Photography, Pieter Toerien, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Singer, South Africa, Theater, Theatre, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, WomxnTags: Actor, Actress, Cape Town, Celie, Conversation, Didintle Khunou, Janet, music, Musical, Musical Theatre, Naledi Award, Photography, Pieter Toerien, Rocky Horror, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Singer, The Color Purple, Theater, Theatre, Women Leave a comment

A Conversation with Amra-Faye Wright

Amra-Faye Wright is an award-winning actress best known for portraying Velma Kelly in Chicago the Musical, both on Broadway, London’s West End and in international tours. She trained extensively as a classical and jazz dancer and began her career performing in the Spectacular Musical Revues at Sun City. She spent the following years developing her skills in many musical genres and obtained a diploma in Contemporary Music at Allenby College in Johannesburg, which has resulted in a versatile and eclectic performance style. After starring in Viva Sun City at Sun City Theatre, Amra-Faye left for Monte Carlo where she performed as lead artist in the world famous Cabaret du Casino for two years. Her gift for story-telling led her to write, and perform her first one-woman revue, Rouge Pulp, which enjoyed a sellout season and prompted her to write Drinks on Me and It’s Not Where I Start. In 2005, she was awarded the Naledi Theatre Award and the Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for her performance in the South African production of Chicago. Continue reading →

July 10, 2019November 17, 2019 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Arts, Conversation, Culture, Dance, Dancer, Fleur du Cap, Interview, Musical, Now Playing, Performer, Photography, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Singer, South Africa, Theater, Theatre, Theatre Awards, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, WomxnTags: Actor, Actress, Amra-Faye Wright, Ballet, Broadway, Chicago, Conversation, Dancer, Fleur du Cap, music, Musical, Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Actress, Naledi Award, New York, Performer, Photography, Singer, South Africa, South African, Theater, Theatre, Velma Kelly, West End, Women Leave a comment

A Conversation with Shelley Lothian

Shelley Lothian is an award-winning choreographer, director, singer, actress and dancer. Her performance credits include The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Boys in the Photograph, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You, Show Boat and Cabaret. She directed Chef, Rattle and Roll; The Purr Factory and Maybe Baby It’s You. She served as Resident Director on Janice Honeyman’s Show Boat, Matthew Wild’s Cabaret and West Side Story; David Kramer’s Orpheus in Africa and District Six- Kanala, and most recently King Kong with Jonathan Munby at the Fugard Theatre. She was also Associate Director on the international musical Tiger Bay. She has choreographed various productions including The King and I, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, District Six- Kanala and Sneeuwitjie. Shelley’s other choreographic credits include My Fair Lady; Chef, Rattle and Roll and Liefling – all of which received Naledi Theatre Award nominations, as well as Fiddler on the Roof and The Pirates of Penzance which both won the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Original Choreography. She is currently starring in the Fugard Theatre’s production of Kinky Boots where she also serves as Resident Director. Continue reading →

July 3, 2019September 26, 2019 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Arts, Cape Town, Choreographer, Conversation, Dance, Dancer, Director, Interview, Musical, Now Playing, Performer, Photography, Sarafina, Sarafina Magazine, Singer, South Africa, The Fugard, Theater, Theatre, Uncategorized, Woman, Women, WomxnTags: Actress, Advice, Cape Town, Choreographer, Conversation, Dancer, Director, Kinky Boots, music, Musical, Naledi Award, Performer, Photography, Resident Director, Shelley Adriaanzen, Shelley Lothian, Singer, South Africa, The Fugard, Theater, Theatre, Women 2 Comments

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 LJ Neilson

LJ Neilson arrived in South Africa six years ago and has rapidly become one of South Africa’s most in demand musical theatre performers. She has starred in some of South Africa’s biggest hits including Dirty Dancing, Singin’ in the Rain, Funny Girl and Saturday Night Fever for which she was honoured with a 2017 Naledi Award nomination. Later this year she will take on the role of Eva Perón, twice a week, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita which begins performance at Joburg’s Montecasino in October before transferring to Cape Town’s Artscape Opera House in December.
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August 9, 2017August 9, 2017 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Advice, Artist, Arts, Cape Town, Conversation, Culture, Dance, Dancer, Interview, Joburg, Johannesburg, Musical, Pieter Toerien, Production, Sarafina, Sarafina MagazineTags: Actress, Alternate Eva, Conversation, Dancer, Dirty Dancing, Eva Peron, Evita, inspirational, inspiring, LJ Neilson, Musical, Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Actress, Naledi Award, Nominee, Performer, Photography, Singer, Singin in the rain, The Sound of Music, Theater, Theatre, West Side Story 2 Comments

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 →

November 8, 2016February 4, 2017 by Sarafina Magazine Categories: Actor, Actress, Art, Arts, Cape Town, Conversation, Culture, music, Now Playing, Pieter Toerien, The Fugard, Theater, Theatre, UncategorizedTags: #JosephSA, Actors, Actress, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Anita, Arts, Bianca Le Grange, Cape Town, Conversation, David Kramer, empowerment, Idols, inspirational, inspiring, Interview, Joberg, Johannesburg, music, Naledi Award, Performer, Pieter Toerien, South Africa, Stephen Sondheim, The Fugard, The narrator, Theater, West Side Story, Women 5 Comments

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