Bryan Hiles

Bryan Hiles delivers a finely judged performance as Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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Bryan Hiles as Hamlet. Photo by Val Adamson

BRYAN Hiles never imagined himself in the role of Hamlet, instead he thought he was more suited to playing Laertes, brother to Ophelia, writes http://www.theluvvie.com’s ESTELLE SINKINS.

Director, Clare Mortimer, had other ideas. She could definitely see the Durban-based actor playing William Shakespeare’s titular hero and twisted his arm to take on the challenge in Think Theatre’s Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark, currently running at the Playhouse Drama Theatre in Durban. Continue reading →

KickStArt Theatre Company unveils its theatrical treats for 2017

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Katy Moore (left) will play Velma, with Jessica Sole as Roxy in KickStArt Theatre Company’s production of ‘Chicago’. Photo: Val Adamson

DURBAN’s award-winning KickStArt Theatre Company has revealed its 2017 line-up and it promises to be a series of theatrical delights. Continue reading →

Think Theatre set to stage two of the Bard’s greatest works, Hamlet & Othello

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Chris van Rensburg plays the villainous Iago with Nhlakanipho Manqele as Othello in Think Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s Othello. Photo: Val Adamson

Renowned for its teaching-aid productions of Shakespeare set works for matric school learners, Think Theatre, in association with The Playhouse Company, presents two of The Bard’s greatest tragedies in 2017 – a new staging of Hamlet, and a revival of the company’s widely acclaimed Othello.

These plays will run in tandem with successive seasons in Hilton and Durban in February and March, and a tour to a number of country venues in KwaZulu-Natal, before transferring to Gauteng for runs in Johannesburg and Pretoria in May 2017. Continue reading →

Play about Whoonga drug crisis wins big at 2016 Durban Theatre Awards

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Ulwembu, a play which examines the Whoonga drug problem in KwaZulu-Natal, won five prizes at the Mercury Durban Theatre Awards. Photo: File

ULWEMBU, a play which tackles the serious consequences of the Whoonga (low grade heroin) drug problem in Durban, was one of the big winners at this year’s Mercury Durban Theatre Awards.

Over the course of 2015, award-winning playwright and director Neil Coppen (Tin Bucket Drum, Tree Boy, Abnormal Loads and Animal Farm), actress Mpume Mtombeni, KwaMashu-based community-theatre group, The Big Brotherhood, and educational sociologist, Dylan McGarry, set about exploring the crisis.

The result of the two-year research/play-making process was a powerful new theatre production, which gave audiences the opportunity to walk in the shoes of users, dealers, police officers, social-workers and parents of drug users. Continue reading →

Check out all the nominees in the 2016 The Mercury Durban Theatre Awards

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The cast of KickStArt Theatre Company’s Into the Woods which is running at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in Durban. Photo: Val Adamson

KickStArt Theatre Company has been rewarded with 54 nominations in this year’s The Mercury Durban Theatre Awards. The ceremony will be staged at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Howard College campus at 7.30pm on Monday, November 21. Continue reading →

Into the Woods is a wish come true

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The cast of KickStArt Theatre Company’s Into the Woods which is running at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in Durban. Photo: Val Adamson

Review: Into The Woods – Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 

THERE is a saying ‘be careful what you wish for’, but I for one am extremely happy that my wish – that Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods would be staged in Durban one day – came true. Currently running at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, KickStArt Theatre Company has again showed what can be achieved by ambitious dreamers and a dream cast and crew. Continue reading →

It’s time to go Into the Woods with KickStArt

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The cast of Into the Woods. Photo: Val Adamson

I remember sending a message to Steven Stead, artistic director of KickStArt Theatre Company, after seeing Disney’s film version of Into the Woods whether he had plans to do a stage version. He just said ‘watch this space’.

This week Durban theatregoers get to see Into the Woods on stage at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on the University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College campus from April 15 to May 1. I for one cannot wait to see Stephen Sondheim’s classic and I urge all my friends and family in Durban and Maritzburg to go and see it. Continue reading →

Enjoy some five-star satire in Superchop

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Don’t miss Superchop at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in Durban

Review: Superchop – Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College campus

REALITY shows – love them or hate them – are today a staple of television channels the world over, but in Liam Magner’s Superchop he takes the format to hysterically funny new places.

The satirical comedy show is the latest production from the multi-award winning Neon Anthems. It is written and performed by Van Heerden and directed by Liam Magner. Continue reading →