#Chuma Sopotela

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Little house in the garden

"Little house in the garden", a review of 'The Promise' directed by Sylvaine Strike, at the Market Theatre until 5 November 2023.

WHERE there’s a will, there’s a will: From left Anton (Rob Van Vuuren), Salome (Chuma Sopotela), Tannie Marina (Cintaine Schutte), the lawyer Cherise Coutts (Kate Normington) and Astrid (Jenny Stead). Photograph by Claude Barnardo, courtesy The Market Theatre. TAKE THE GENRE of the South African farm novel, throw it in the air with all its idiosyncrasies and hypocrisies, violence and violation,…

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A Conversation with Chuma Sopotela

We chat with @StandardBankArt winner Chuma Sopotela about her career and creating #indlulamthi for the @artsfestival. Photos: @JesseKKramer. #NAF2018

Chuma Sopotela is a multi-award-winning actor, director, choreographer and performance artist. She has recently been named as the 2018 Standard Bank Young Artist for Performance Art. Her stage credits include Karoo Moose for which she received the 2007 Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best Actress, Waiting for the Barbarians, U nyamo alunampumlo and Mamela Nyamza’s Rock to the Core. We sat down…

[artsvark]

Hilton Arts Festival's youth programme - Jongosi

Attention all teachers and learners! There is an exciting programme for the young at Hilton. Make a day of it on 15 September and join in the fun.

Chuma Sopotela & Bongile Mantsai in Karoo Moose. Pic by Oscar ‘O Ryan.

Keeping arts alive for future generations, the Hilton Arts Festival is working proactively to introduce young people to the wondrous all-encompassing world of live performance and to this end is offering a Jongosi youth component as part of the main festival.

This year, the festival invites schools to attend the eighth Jongosi Festival. Teachers are invited to save the date if they would like their learners, in particular drama, music or dance classes, to experience the best of live performances on offer in the country.

The Jongosi Festival embedded in the main festival, takes place on Friday 15 September, and has a specifically, carefully-selected age-appropriate programme aimed at Grades 6 – 10.

Festival Director, Sue Clarence stated: “The day is structured to ensure that learners will be fully-occupied attending a variety of fabulous, innovative theatre. The aim is to instil a love of the performing arts, and to provide enjoyment and to stimulate thought and discussion.”

Pictured here are Ben Voss and John van de Ruit in their latest hilarious offering, Mamba Republic. Pic by Jacki Bruniquel.

A carefully-considered line up has been curated to form the Jongosi programme. The final schedule is not yet finalised at this stage, although some of the key elements are in place.

For the younger audiences, grades 6 – 9: highlights include the boisterous fun Raiders of the Caribbean by former Playhouse Head of Drama now based in Cape Town, Nicholas Ellenbogen and his Theatre for Africa. Billed as a swashbuckling musical set in the beautiful Caribbean, audiences are invited to join Lucious Lola and Jude the Cruel in the quest for the Jewel of the Caribbean treasure.

“But beware, young traveller all good stories have a dark side!”After Dark in the Groot Marico is a two-hander created by Tara Notcutt which reconsiders and enlivens some of the favourite Oom Schalk Lourens stories by master story teller, Herman Charles Bosman.

Making Mandela is an innovative story by Jenine Collocott, acclaimed member of the team that created The Snow Goose. The new, captivating production, Making Mandela, is the story of what influenced the rural boy to become a global legend. The production is an imaginative journey through the childhood of Mandela, featuring colourful characters, vividly portrayed in masks, with physical performances supported by emotive sound and theatrical styling.

For the slightly older learners, in grades 10 – 12, there is a wide variety of options available including The Baxter’s Karoo Moose which chronicles the story of a young girl named Thomaza who lives in an isolated village in the Karoo region, who ends up killing a moose. Strange, enchanting and definitely different, Karoo Moose is devised by Baxter CEO and multi-awarded playwright Lara Foot.

Mamba Republic is a rapid-paced satirical sketch-comedy which reunites the talents of Ben Voss (Beauty Ramapelepele) and John van de Ruit (Spud), Mamba Republic takes a savagely funny look at all that is wrong and very wrong in the Rainbow Nation.

Also on the cards will be a stand-up comedy show – specifically designed for a youthful audience. Details here are still strictly under wraps!

From closer to home is Greig Coetzee’s much-loved, delightful, melancholic and quirky solo piece Blue Period of Milton van der Spuy, produced by Peter Mitchell from UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus and featuring Francis Mennigke who is a graduate of Rhodes University and a master’s student at UKZN.

The makers of Snow Goose, James Cairns and Taryn Bennett, star in this production of the Ernest Hemingway classic, The Old Man and The Sea. The story recounts the perils of a fisherman Santiago on his voyage to break 84 days without a catch.

Over and above the shows there are a wide variety of free arts related workshops, exhibitions and interactive engagement opportunities to explore between shows.

Give your pupils the opportunity to submerge themselves in quality performance at the 25th Hilton Arts Festival this year at Hilton College from 15 – 17 September. If schools are interested in booking their learners – contact the festival office on festival@hiltoncollege.com or 033 383 0127.

The full schedule and bookings will be finalised by the end of July.

For more info, visit www.hiltonfestival.co.za or contact the Festival Office.

The festival would not be possible without the generous support of Hilton College, Times Media Group, Grindrod Bank, Black Coffee, DWR, PWC, Bidvest Car Rental, Indwe Risk Services, Assitej South Africa, Loud Crowd, Sappi, Redlands Hotel, Zultrans, KZN Dept of Arts & Culture, BASA, Castle Lite, Maritzburg Sun, Caxton, KZN Weddings & Functions, Midlands Stretch Tents, Ken Forrester Wines.

Hilton Arts Festival’s youth programme – Jongosi was originally published on Artsvark

[artsvark]

All the Winners: 52nd Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards

This evening at a glamorous event held at the Artscape Opera Theatre in Cape Town, the 52nd Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards were presented to performing arts practitioners for their work in Western Cape Theatres during the last year.

The event was hosted by Cathy Specific and Afrika Melane.

The evening began with a protest by Mamela Nyamza, Chuma Sopotela, Buhlebezwe Siwani and Zikhona Jacobs who arrived dressed as prostitutes with white underwear bearing the apartheid era South African flag. These artists held up cardboard placards in front of the stage in a style reminiscent of the #RememberKwezi protests at the election results announcement at the IEC Results Centre last year, protesting the event as one that celebrated white excellence, claiming that 52 of the 70 nominees were white artists.

Protest Theater! Four women protest the lack of diversity at the 52nd Fleur du Cap awards. The arts never cease to astound. pic.twitter.com/C8gjmY1WOW

— Tshepang Molisana (@TshepiMolisana) March 19, 2017

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards is considered amongst the most coveted within the South African performing arts community. The awards began in 1965 and annually award the best productions from the many stages in and around Cape Town. The awards are judged by a panel comprising local critics, journalists, writers and drama educators.

Awarded in 20 categories, over 85 productions were reviewed and considered for the 52nd edition of these awards. For a number of reasons awards will not be awarded for Most Promising Student and Best Puppetry. The judging panel members for 2017 comprises Africa Melane, Dr Beverley Brommert, Eugene Yiga, Fundi Zwane, Johan van Lill, Lwando Scott, Marina Griebenow, Maurice Carpede, Niel Roux, Peter Tromp, Steyn du Toit, Tracey Saunders and Wayne Muller.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was also awarded to Pieter-Dirk Uys.

The winners of the 52nd Annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards announced tonight are:

AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN THEATRE

Makukhanye Art Room

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY

Andrew Buckland for The Inconvenience of Wings as Paul

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Jennifer Steyn for The Inconvenience of Wings as Sara

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Rob van Vuuren for A Doll’s House as Nils Krogstad

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Anthea Thompson for A Doll’s House as Mrs Kristine Linde

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE, CABARET OR ONE-PERSON SHOW

Marlo Minnaar for Santa Gamka as Luck Marais

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Paul du Toit for Hedwig and the Angry Inch as Hedwig

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Genna Galloway for Hedwig and the Angry Inch as Yitzhak

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Jonathan Roxmouth for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as Pharaoh

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Taryn Sudding for Annie as Grace

BEST DIRECTOR

Lara Foot for The Inconvenience of Wings

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Faheem Bardien for Ityala Lamawele

BEST SET DESIGN

Saul Radomsky for Clybourne Park

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Niall Griffin for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

BEST SOUNDSCAPE, ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSITION OR ORIGINAL SCORE

David Kramer for District Six Kanala – Original Music Composition and Original Score

BEST NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCRIPT

Mongiwekhaya for I See You

BEST NEW DIRECTOR

Mbongeni Mtshali

  All the Winners: 52nd Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards was originally published on Artsvark