YVONNE Chaka Chaka will star alongside the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra in A Night with the Stars at Joburg Theatre at 7.30 pm on June 27 and 3 pm on June 28.
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STORYTELLING
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AS part of the Ashburton Aloe Festival there will be an evening of storytelling round the campfire.
Taking place from 4 pm to 5.30 pm on Saturday, June 27, The Last Outpost (of Empire) Speaks Back, will be presented by Howard Bradshaw. He will be reading the work of poet, Roy Campbell, and other South African voices.
Spokesperson, Pandora Long, told Weekend Witness eXplore: “We hold this event once a year in order to share the beauty of the Lower Mpushini Valley with visitors at a time when the wild Aloe Candelabrum are in full flower.”
Entry to the event, which is being held at Galago, is R30, which entitles the ticket holder to visit all of the five venues over the two day festival period. Children under 12 are free.
Snack platters will be on sale for R20.
The Festival itself takes place on June 27 and 28. Five beautiful bushveld venues will be open to the public between 9 am and 4 pm; and visitors can enjoy talks, self-guided trails, aloe sales, lunches, live music, a tea garden and pony rides and a birding trail.
Tickets to the festival are R30 for both days and children under 12 are free. All proceeds go towards conservation.
• How to get there: Take the N3 Exit 69, turn right into Pope Ellis Drive, towards Ashburton East. Travel 4km till the ticket booth and follow the signs.
• For more information phone Darlene Bond 082 933 5036.
MUSIC
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THE KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra will be doing a Pop Up concert at the Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg at 6.30 pm for 7.30 pm on Tuesday, June 30.
The 15-piece orchestra will be in concert for one hour at the gallery in Chief Albert Luthuli Street.
Patrons can also enjoy delicious canapés and award-winning Bouchard Finlayson before the music starts. The programme will include music by Marcello, Mozart, Piazzolla and selections from Indigo, the new album by Christopher Duigan and David Salleras.
Soloists include Salleras (saxophone), Joanna Frankel (violin) and Duigan (piano).
Tickets for the concert, supported by Parklane SuperSpar, are R180. To book email chris@fotag.co.za, SMA 083 417 4473 or phone 033 342 3051. Booking is essential and the dresscode is smart.
• A reminder that the Fabulous Picture Show, The Friends of Tatham Art Gallery’s annual fund raising drive, will be presented in November.
Donations are very much appreciated and Fotag urges all artists to participate in the exhibition and auction. The general requested or preferred size of artworks for this year is A4. For full details including technical details and submission dates visit http://www.fotag.co.za
THEATRE
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ASPIRING actors and dancers are invited to sign up for the BAD Summer School presented by local theatre professionals.
Designed for those between the ages of 16 and 50 seeking professional and practical hands-on training, the course runs for two weeks, from November 29 to December 13.
Those keen on performance as a hobby or recreational route are also urged to sign up.
Students will learn the foundations of acting and dance, developing their abilities within acting for theatre, as well as contemporary dance movement. The dance unit will be focused on exploring the body in relation to physical technique and expression through movement.
The acting unit will deal with stage performance, and film technique and general presentation skills that will equip candidates in improving confidence, team skills, vocal qualities, and public speaking.
Students will work in a professional collaborative environment and will work towards a final showcase performance and graduation ceremony. They will also receive a certificate of completion.
The Summer School will be conducted by Brenda- Lee Breeh Cele and Nompumelelo Mtshali.
Breeh Cele holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of KwaZulu-Natal with majors in drama and film.
She is a professional dancer, actress, upcoming film-maker and theatre director and works as a theatre technician at The Hexagon Theatre. Her directorial works include The Bald Prima Donna staged at the Hexagon Theatre and the National Arts Festival in 2014.
A contemporary and hip-hop dancer and choreographer, she performed at the 2013 National Arts Festival in One Lonely Light, at Dance Umbrella (Joburg) and the Jomba Fringe Festival (Durban) in 2014.
She also starred in A Thousand Cranes directed by Peter Mitchell.
Mtshali is currently her final year of a masters degree in drama student at UKZN. She has run drama educational programmes at Sobantu High School (2012), Humming Bird (2013) and the Pietermaritzburg Children’s Home (2013) and is currently a teacher trainer for creatives arts specifically drama, dance, music and visuals arts working for Assitej South Africa.
The two-week summer school will be held at the Hexagon Theatre on Golf Road, Pietermaritzburg, weekdays day from 2 pm to 5 pm.
Space is limited and registration closes on July 2. Applications available by email upon request.
• For more information phone 079 679 4837, email:badsummerschool2013@gmail.com or visit http://www.facebook.com/badsummerschool2013
THEATRE AND DANCE
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CRAWFORD College in La Lucia will be hosting The Road to Hollywood, a vibrant production showcasing the talent of five members of the South African team who will be competing in the 2015 World Championships of Performing Arts, in Hollywood in July.
Competitors had to qualify to compete by winning at least one gold medal at the South African Championships of Performing Arts, a ten-day event encompassing dance, drama, singing, musical talent, variety arts and modelling.
Performing in The Road To Hollywood show are: Crawford College La Lucia pupils, dancer, Emmitt Cawley (overall SA Championships of Performing Arts grand champion), dancer Jemma van Breda (overall winner, variety arts) and singer Bernelee Frick, Westville Boys High dancer, Keegan Barnes and Westville Girls High dancer, Jenna Moodie.
Ravi R is the show compere and other performers include singer Shelley Maclean, Keith Armstrong, deputy head of Crawford College La Lucia;
Luke Holder, head arts and culture at Westville Boys High, John Coldbeck, drama teacher at Crawford La Lucia, Enver Moolla, hip hop teacher at Crawford La Lucia, Deneska Theron, from Crawford La Lucia, Andrew Sutton, from Northwood Boys High (winner of Gateway to Fame), Rachel Scrooby, from St Mary’s, Sanele Sibiya and Lindo Langa, ex- Northwood Boys High pupils, and Annette Louw, from Westville Senior Primary.
Dancers taking part in the show include Donna da Costa (gold medallist, SA Champs Performing Arts), the Beatbreakerz Dance Crew, the Dance Barre dance studio, and Jingles & Jazz Studio.
Melissa von Loggerenberg will do a drama work.
Emmitt, who is hoping to repeat his South African success by becoming overall champion in Hollywood, said: “I am really looking forward to the Road to Hollywood event as it will not only provide a great cause for celebration on break-up day, but a valuable opportunity to practice the routines that we will be performing at the World Championships from July 6 to 23.”
Tickets for The Road to Hollywood, which is at Crawford College La Lucia at 6 pm on Friday, June 26, can be booked with Deidre Frick at 079 045 1100.
THEATRE
DIM-DEP: Faces of Environmental Success, a new South African musical with a strong environmental and heritage theme, will be staged in the Playhouse Loft Theatre in Durban from July 2 to 5.
The title is inspired by the sound produced by beating an African drum, especially with hands. It is also an abbreviation of Drum and Indigenous Music Development Project — an ongoing initiative run by Atlas Philani Duma’s Sagiya Productions.
Starring Nonkululeko Mchunu, Cherise Hlengiwe Filen, Ntokozo Ngcobo and Lee Ngamlana, with music by Duma, Smanga DJ Sweet Bhengu and Thonbani Mbatha, this musical is classic “edutainment” — an engaging story with a strong environmental message.
The story, crafted through a blend of dialogue, poetry, music, dramatic prose and monologues, is told over two time periods: contemporary urban and Stone Age
The narrators are two women, Sindy and Mpume, who meet in the rainforest near the Drakensberg mountains. Through flashbacks they reflect on the life of early men and women living in the mountains.
The story talks to responsible, environmentally-aware living, reminding audiences of the need to be self-sufficient, nurture the environment, minimize pollution, limit use of power and look back to age-old skills such as agriculture, responsible use of animal products and environmental sustainability.
“The story is a reminder to us all to take care of the environment,” says Duma. “We are reminded that we cannot survive on digital devises alone! Other issues which are touched on, include awareness in cultural development and our rich heritage.”
Dim-Dep also features a great musical score comprised of Afro blues, jazz, bebop, pop, maskandi, Afro jazz and house.
Showtimes are 7 pm on July 2, 3 and 4 and 3 pm on July 5.
Tickets are R80 at Computicket, Shoprite and Checkers stores and from the Playhouse Company.
Ntokozo Ngcobo and Nonkululeko Mchunu star in Dim-Dep: Faces of Environmental Success which will be staged at the Playhouse.
CHILDREN’S THEATRE
IF you are looking for ways to entertain the little ones over the holidays then make a date to see the AUC’s (Actors Unemployed Company) The Pied Piper of Hamelin at the Rhumbelow Theatre in Umbilo.
Adapted for the stage from the Robert Browning version of the classic tale by Marc Kay, and directed by Clinton Small, the show captures the very essence of this wonderful story with all the characters from the original story … and a few that aren’t! Performers will race about the stage enacting one of their favourite stories, filled with magic, comedy, shadow puppets, audience interaction… and RATS!
Showtimes are 10 am on June 27 and 30, 2 pm on June 28, 10 am on July 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17 and 18, and at 10 am on July 2, 5, 12, 16 and 19.
After the show, a short workshop will be held as an introduction to Shadow Puppet Theatre (run by the performers, and at no extra cost!)
Snacks and juices are on sale.
Tickets are R60 at Computicket, email roland@stansell.za.net or phone Ailsa at 083 250 2690.
Adam Dore stars in the Pied Piper of Hamlin at the Rhumbelow Theatre.
THEATRE
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THIS year’s PANSA Young Performers Project, 2015, Soldiers in the City, is a homegrown work, created by Themi Venturas, Iain “Ewok” Robinson and Lucky Cele.
Running at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from July 3 to 12, the show — which is funded by the KZN Department of Arts & Culture and Rainbow — engages with the new emerging urban youth culture.
The story centres on two best friends, both excellent poets, who compete in an underground slam poetry challenge, where they realise that words can be sharper, and more dangerous, than swords, and that forgiveness and loyalty is more valuable than glory.
Soldiers in the City examines the overt culture of the new generation which includes rhyming, beat-box, urban dance, music and public artwork like graffiti — much like the very popular Step Up movie series.
The music is performed to a live band, the ever popular The Reals and the songlist includes: Read all about it by Emile Sande, What a piece of work is man from the musical Hair, Soldier in the City by Aloe Blacc, My City by Toya De Lazy and Casper Nyovesi, Born for this by HHP, Liquideep and Teargas, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, Seasons of Love from the musical Rent, Something Inside so Strong by Labi Liffre and Lira, I’m only Human by Christina Perri-Human, Boss Zonke by Ricky Rix, Battle Cry by Imagine Dragons, Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, Lean on Me by Bill Withers, Roar by Katy Perry, One Tribe by the Black Eyed Peas and Union by Sting and the Black Eyed Peas.
The poetry for the ‘rap’ battles has been written by Robinson.
“It is clear that more and more young people want to control their own destiny,” says director Themi Venturas. “This can be seen in the new youth culture, in the ‘K’ generation — which is full of revolutionary zeal and despondent anger directed at the older generation, who they perceive have not done enough to change their lives materially.”
Open auditions were held at Glenwood High and at the Hexagon in Pietermaritzburg to gather the best musical-theatre high-school performers to make up the cast.
Spearheaded by PANSA (the Performing Arts Network of South Africa), the project gives pupils a taste of working in the professional musical theatre arena.
Previous projects have included Grease, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wiz, Annie, School of Rock SA, Hairspray, Seussical,
The young cast of Soldiers in the City, this year’s Pansa theatre project. Photo: Val Adamson
Legally Blonde, Can You Feel It? and last year’s, Footloose.
Booking is through Computicket and at Shoprite Checkers stores.
THEATRE
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THE Schlesinger Theatre at Michaelhouse in Balgowan will host two performance of The Prize of Peace, written by Les Morison, at 7.30 pm on June 24 and 25.
Mandela and De Klerk are in the grand Hotel, Oslo before they receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Backstage, militants plan to shock the world and plunge South Africa back into the abyss.
In this fictional drama, the great leaders show strength in resisting provocation. They wrestle over the issue of apology and anger bursts from both of them. Yet they show what it takes to make rational choices for the common good. Together they achieve what neither could alone.
The Prize of Peace was originally directed by Clare Stopford to acclaim at the Old Mutual Theatre on Square in 2011. Playing with history and fiction, the play asks the right questions about forgiveness, guilt and building a future through relationships of understanding.
The production is staged by four talented B Block drama boys.
Tickets are R30. To book email Angela Jonsson at theatre@michaelhouse.org or call 033 234 1314 weekdays between 8 am and 1 pm.
MUSIC
THE Funda Nenja Township Dog Training Initiative will benefit from a special concert featuring seven world-class performers.
