The Fugard Theatre’s new digital platform, The Fugard At Home, launched on 1 June, presenting a unique opportunity to access a range of theatrical content on The Fugard Theatre’s website.

Following the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the subsequent lockdown, and the current uncertainty about when theatres will be able to safely operate again, The Fugard Theatre has launched The Fugard At Home , in response to having to cancel their 2020 Season. The Fugard At Home will be accessible from the Theatre’s website at thefugard.com.

From 1 June, theatre lovers will be able to stream some of The Fugard Theatre’s acclaimed past productions, visit the Information Hub to find out what is streaming both locally and globally, and even take a 360-degree tour of the Theatre’s foyer. Visitors can also learn more about Athol Fugard and his extensive body of work, as well as read up on the history of the building the Fugard is located in.

A highlight on the platform will be the opening of the Fugard Theatre’s production archive, where visitors can stream recorded live titles of a curated selection of The Fugard’s past productions. Available from 1 June will be Athol Fugard’s The Road to Mecca, starring South African legends Sandra Prinsloo and Marius Weyers and the award-winning Emily Child, which ran at the Fugard in 2018. The production received three Fleur du Cap Theatre Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Set Design for the late Saul Radomsky.

In addition, the compelling production of Fugard’s “Master Harold”…And The Boys, which was staged in celebration of the Fugards tenth birthday, will also be available to stream due to popular demand, starring Desmond Dube, Kai Luke Brummer, and Siya Mayola.

The Fugard At Home will also feature, The Performer Series, which will go in to production soon. The Performer Series will provide a sterilised environment for multi-medium, single performer, performance pieces, including theatre, dance, music and more, to take place on The Fugard’s main stage, filmed and edited and then broadcast on The Fugard At Home platform. Once launched, an episode will be released per week.

The Fugard At Home will be an ever-evolving virtual platform and arts portal, including Fugard Theatre merchandise, which will be released for sale on the platform soon. For access to offers and exclusive events on The Fugard At Home, sign up as a Friend of The Fugard on our website, thefugard.com

The Fugard Theatre NPC is a not for profit company which works towards the advancement, promotion and preservation of arts and culture in South Africa, in honour of Athol Fugard. Should you wish to donate towards The Fugard Theatre’s work, you can do so by going to thefugard.com

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“The programme of monologues and solo performances curated by the Market Theatre’s artistic director, James Ngcobo, features some of South Africa’s leading actors, dancers, musicians and poets who join our efforts to keep theatre alive online during the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic”, said Zama Buthelezi, the Market Theatre Foundation’s Brand & Communications Manager..

“We are experiencing such uncertainty in our industry and even though our industry has been badly affected by the lockdown to curb this global pandemic it is important that theatre is kept alive through our social media platforms during this time”, says artistic director James Ngcobo.

With his unbounding enthusiasm and passion for theatre, it didn’t take very long for James Ngcobo to mobilise leading actors to create a self-recording of them performing a monologue from one of the plays that had graced the Market Theatre’s stages.

“I thought it would be fitting to talk to these amazing artists about recording monologues for social media so that it can reach a wider audience through this period of social distancing. I asked Mncedisi Shabangu to perform a monologue from Sizwe Banzi is Dead”, says James noting that a few years ago that John Kani directed Mncedisi and Atandwa Kani in this iconic play.

“It was such a joy to see two young actors tackling this piece and to witness the timelessness of the play. I so enjoyed watching them stepping into the shoes of John Kani and Winston Ntshona”, says James Ngcobo as he reminisces about this production which enjoyed immense success.

“Four years ago I asked Andre Odendaal to direct Lionel Newton in the production of Elvis du Pisanie , a robust and a poignant hit play by Paul Slabolepszy. It is such an honour for us that he agreed to pick up the piece. Paul has gifted South Africa with memorable stories and with great characters in them”, adds James Ngcobo.

Amongst the series of monologues that will be featured in the campaign is Dorothy Ann Gould’s performance as Hester in Hello and Goodbye written by Athol Fugard.

“Dorothy’s was one of the most moving performances I have ever witnessed. Her ownership of this character is a marvel to watch”, said Ngcobo.

The selection of solo performances also include Lulu Mlangeni doing a solo dance piece as well as Tshepo Mngoma doing a violin recital of Jesu, Joy of man’s desiring by Bach. Audiences can also look forward to solo performances from Gugu Shezi and poems by Eric Miyeni and Sandile Ngidi.

Extracts from two Black History Month productions Lorraine Hansberry’s A raisin in the sun and George C Wood’s Coloured Museum are included in the programme.

The videos will be available from 7 April 2020 across the Market Theatre’s social media platforms daily. The campaign, #TheatreWillRiseAgain campaign is a way that theatre lovers can be entertained and be challenged to add their own monologues to the campaign. The programme also features an intergeneration of actors which symbolises the Market Theatre Foundation’s appreciation for the veterans and how they continue to pass the baton onto younger performers amongst them Atandwa Kani, Nat Ramabulana, Lesedi Job and Lerato Gwebu.

Please join us for a celebration of theatre on our social media pages for the next fortnight on:

Instagram @markettheatre
Facebook @TheMarketTheatre
Twitter: @markettheatre

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Starting this Friday the 3rd of April 2020, a new YouTube channel called The Shows Must Go On! will be releasing a full-length, smash-hit musical once a week for you to watch for free!

Each performance will be available for 48 hours, so you can tune in whenever you like over the weekend.

Send me a Notification When The Show Goes Live

We will send you a notification as the show becomes available on YouTube, with a link to view. Your data will not be shared with any third parties, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

First up, it’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – this performance will be available from 20:00 South African Time on Friday, 3rd April 2020.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is a musical comedy with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story is based on the “coat of many colours” story of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly.

Future shows will include Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, and more.

Subscribe to The Shows Must Go On! YouTube Account here to stay up to date as new musicals are released every week!

[Source: BroadwayWorld]

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Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday 15 March, we have decided to suspend operations at The Fugard Theatre with immediate effect, as of Monday 16 March 2020, until further notice due to the acceleration of the COVID-19 virus over the weekend. The health and well-being of our audiences, actors and The Fugard staff remain our foremost concern.

All patrons will be contacted by The Fugard Theatre box office to arrange a full refund for seats booked. For any enquiries, please email boxoffice@thefugard.com

Details around new dates and rescheduling of our suspended productions will be communicated through our website, social media and database in due course.

 “Sometimes the show can’t go on: If you have tickets to a live performance or screening which has been cancelled due to COVID-19, please consider donating your ticket rather than requesting a refund. This is the kind of thing that can kill the arts. The livelihood of countless performing arts professionals are at stake.” Lamees Albertus, General Manager & Producer of The Fugard Theatre

Original Post – 15 March 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Fugard Theatre announces its suspension of operations from 29 March until 1 June 2020, following the completion of the Master Harold and the Boys run and scheduled Moffie screenings.

The General Manager and Producer of The Fugard Theatre, Lamees Albertus said “The safety and well-being of our artists, audiences and staff remains our number one priority. In an effort to help contain the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we have also made the decision to postpone the world premiere of Athol Fugard and Paula Fourie’s new play, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies, which was scheduled to open at the Adam Small Theatre Complex on 16 April.”

This follows the recent announcement to postpone The Cape Town International Jazz Festival and various Western Cape universities’ decision to suspend or cancel all events or large gatherings.

The Fugard Theatre is committed to presenting world class theatre productions and providing opportunities for South African actors, directors, writers and theatre makers to have employment and showcase their work.

In light of concerns about the spread of COVID-19 at gatherings of large groups of people such as theatre productions, and in line with cultural events across the world, as an act of social responsibility we have taken the decision to suspend activities and productions at The Fugard Theatre.

This will affect the following productions:

• Never too Naked
  
• It’s Only a Play
• What we Wish For
• All cinema screenings including the World Arts Cinema Season beyond 29 March

All patrons will be contacted by The Fugard Theatre box office to arrange a full refund for seats booked. For any enquiries, please email boxoffice@thefugard.com

Details around new dates and rescheduling of the above mentioned productions will be communicated through our website, social media and database in due course.

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Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies is set on a Stellenbosch winter’s night.  A trio of beggars – Lappies, Riempie and Vink – sheltering under a road bridge over the Eersteriver are joined by a young vagrant woman, Marie, who brings with her an unexpected find. Their night spent together huddled under the bridge rushes to a violent conclusion during which the beggars and Marie – so too, the actors and the audience – are confronted with harsh truths about themselves and the society we live in.

Joined now by Fourie, this play represents Fugard’s opportunity to fulfill a promise made to Barney Simon and Berthold Brecht nearly sixty years ago.

Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies is Written and Directed by Athol Fugard and Paula Fourie. Set Design is by Susan Hilferty (Boesman and Lena, Signature Theatre, New York; Blood Wedding, Young Vic, London). Lighting Design is by Mannie Manim, who has lit every first production of an Athol Fugard play in South Africa since 1977.  Costume Design is by Widaad Albertus (‘Master Harold’…And The Boys, Langarm) and Sound Design is by David Classen (Statements After An Arrest Under the Immorality Act, Shakespeare in Love). Associate Designer is Nadine Minaar and Props Master is David Scales. Daniel Galloway co-produces alongside Lamees Albertus and The Fugard Theatre team.

The cast features Royston Stoffels (Aunty Merle the Musical; Krismas van Map Jacobs and TV Suidooster and Arendsvlei) as Lappies; Loren Loubser (God is a Woman; Nasty Womxn, Niqabi Ninja) as Marie; Carlo Daniels (Triple Axel; District Six Kanala; G7: Okwe Bokhwe) as Riempie and  Marlon Swarts  as Vink (Die Kortstondige Raklewe van Anastacia W; In the City of Paradise and TV Sara Se Geheim).

Athol Fugard is an internationally acclaimed playwright director and occasional actor, for over half a century he has written almost forty soul-searing plays with roles for all South Africans which have moved audiences in South Africa and around the world to laughter and tears as they reflected the inhumanity of apartheid. His plays champion truth and a fundamental universal humanity.

Dr Paula Fourie is a writer and research fellow and she also holds BMus and MMus degrees from the University of Pretoria. Fourie currently holds a part-time postdoctoral fellowship at the Bern University of the Arts where she is researching Afrikaans translations of Swiss novels and plays published and performed in South Africa during the apartheid era.

“As part of our 2020 objectives, we are promoting new South African writing as well as celebrating the works of Athol Fugard, our internationally acclaimed giant of South African theatre,” says Lamees Albertus, General Manager and Producer of The Fugard Theatre. “We are delighted to combine these goals in one exciting new production, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies.”

Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies will be performed at The Laboratory at the Adam Small Complex in Stellenbosch from 16 April until 2 May on Tuesday to Saturdays at 8pm. There are 3pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays and an additional matinee on Wednesday 29 April at 3pm. The Adam Small Complex is at 15 Victoria St, Stellenbosch Central, Stellenbosch.

Tickets from R190 to R250 can be booked through The Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through The Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com

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While relaxing on holiday, she rediscovers the woman she used to be and the happiness that she has been missing. Shirley embarks on a passionate affair with Costas, a local Greek man, and realizes that there is more to life than the dull, mundane existence she leads back home in Liverpool.

Making a radical decision, she leaves her friend at the airport and goes back to the hotel she has been staying at to ask for a job. Finally, she is living the life she has dreamed of and rediscovered the self-confidence she has lost.

Starring Natasha Sutherland
Directed by Gina Shmukler

Shirley Valentine will be on the boards at Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Studio from 26 March – 3 May 2020. Performances from Wednesdays to Saturdays at 20:00 and matinees on Saturdays at 16:00 and Sundays at 15:00.

Ticket Prices range from R100 – R180 and are available through Computicket or at the theatre box office.

Running Time: approx. 2 hours. (inclusive of 20 min interval)
PG: Adult themes

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Launched initially to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, Suddenly The Storm had its World Premiere at the Barney Simon at Jozi’s’s Market Theatre on the 7th June 2016. A season at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town as well as Durban’s Playhouse followed, where the play continued running to capacity audiences and nightly standing ovations.

The play walked away with three Naledi Awards; Best New South African Script (Paul Slabolepszy), Best Theatre Set Design (Greg, King) and Best Lighting Design (Wesley France) as well as a Fleur Du Cap Award in Cape Town for Greg King’s Set Design.

Suddenly The Storm has been described as one of the most powerful South African plays since the birth of Democracy.

Set in contemporary South Africa, the play poses the question of whether the wounds of the past can ever really be healed.

Suddenly The Storm features Renate Stuurman (as Namhla), Charmaine Weir-Smith (as Shanell) and Paul Slabolepszy (as Dwayne). Bobby Heaney directs.

The nail-biting story takes place in Johannesburg’s East Rand at the home of an ageing former policeman Dwayne Combrink and his much younger wife Shanell.

Combative, volatile, constantly on the verge of exploding, Dwayne and Shanell Combrink are two halves of a white South African working-class couple, living an uneasy truce as they struggle with the day-to-day trials of scraping together a living and dreaming competing dreams.

Beneath Dwayne’s angry, violent exterior lies the heartbreak that governs his attitude to life. Dwayne is a man in mourning. Shanell believes his current level of despair was sparked by the death of his childhood friend and recent work partner, Jonas, but the source of his mourning and anger lies much further back.

When the elegant and self-contained Namhla Gumede, born on 16 June 1976, arrives on their doorstep seeking answers to questions that have remained buried for 40 years, Dwayne and Shanell finally discover the truth.

What begins as a smouldering dark comedy, suddenly turns into a roller-coaster ride of startling revelations, of rage and recrimination, before the storm finally breaks.

This is theatre that throws up a whirlwind of mixed emotions – greed, love, loss and healing – touching on distinctly South African topics that make this country so rich and rewarding for those who can brave its storms.

The experience and proven track record of both Slabolepszy and Heaney coming together once again creates the perfect storm of talent – powerful acting, inspired writing and incisive direction – promising to make this production a truly memorable event.

Suddenly The Storm runs at The Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino from Thursday 12th March – Sunday 29th March.
Performances are Tuesdays – Fridays at 20h00, Saturdays at 16h00 & 20h00 and Sundays at 15h00.
Ticket Prices range from R100 – R240 and Bookings can be made through Computicket .

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Angola may have richest woman on the continent, but South Africa has its most famous white woman – Evita Bezuidenhout. She also has a younger sister, Bambi Kellermann, who is the first person to encourage fake news about herself, knowing that the truth would be too unbelievable.

Uys has always been careful to balance his two most famous creatures: Mrs Bezuidenhout, part of the culture of her land since 1981 and true to her Afrikaner roots and ego, has no sense of humour and regards irony as an enemy; Madame Kellermann on the other hand wears her humour as an expensive aura and blandishes her irony as a successful weapon of mass distraction.

While waiting on the stage of the Fugard Studio for the arrival of her sister, Bambi shares the ups and downs of a life well-lived and loves well-shared; a boeremeisie, who started her long walk to freedom by leaving Bethlehem in the Orange Free State for Vienna in Austria. She was dazzled by the big world, hiding her fears behind her new underworld creation called Bambi. Yes, she was an uber-stripper on the Reperbahn in Hamburg during the 1960s. In other words: naked. Yes, she was hailed as one of the grand horizontals of the Northern Hemisphere during most of the last century – usually also naked except for her Chanel No 5 perfume. And yes, she will be in at the Fugard Studio this month and next, to share the naked truth of her story for the first time. As in most fairy tales, she marries a German aristocrat; as in most true horrors, he turns out to be a nightmare.

Evita Bezuidenhout’s lawyers have told Bambi’s lawyer that as reconciliation is the only solution for the future of South Africa, she and her sister must lead by example and publicly reconcile. They haven’t spoken to each other for over 30 years.

Never Too Naked is at the Fugard Studio Theatre for a three week season from 24 March to 11 April 2020 with tickets from R150 through www.thefugard.com or 0214614554.
Age restriction: 12

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The jungle is soon going to be jumpin’ with a jazzy beat! Specially adapted from the classic Disney animated film, Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS features a host of colourful characters and your favourite songs from the movie.

Banished by the ferocious tiger, Shere Khan, a human boy named Mowgli and his panther friend, Bagheera, are on the run in the deepest parts of the jungle. On their journey, the two meet a sinister snake named Kaa, a herd of elephants and a giant bear named Baloo, who teaches them the swingin’ musical rhythms of the jungle.

After surviving a dangerous encounter with a band of monkeys led by King Louie, Mowgli and Bagheera are forced to run for their lives. When Shere Khan returns, our heroes rally together to defeat Shere Khan in battle and peace is restored throughout the jungle.

Disney The Jungle Book Kids is directed by Jill Girard and Keith Smith, with Musical Direction by Coenraad Rall, Musical Staging by Sandy (Dyer) Richardson, Set and Lighting Design by Grant Knottenbelt and costumes Linda Wilson

Baloo will be played by one of Peoples Theatres favourite performers, Luciano Zuppa, Baloo is an easygoing and fun-loving character who shirks at responsibility. He is a sleepy old bear who teaches Mowgli the law of the jungle and is well known for his song The Bare necessities during their adventure through the jungle Baloo eventually realises that the man village is the best place for Mowgli.

Bagheera is Mowgli’s mentors and protector, and is tasked with getting Mowgli to the man village but he is met with many obstacles along the way, Bagheera will be played by the wonderful Thokozani Jiyane who was last seen playing the role of Marty the zebra in Madagascar Jr.

Kaa will be played by Bethany-Joy Jiyane and this will be her first performance for the Peoples Theatre. Kaa is surprisingly one of Mowgli’s wise mentors and friend. who is also feared throughout the jungle for her mesmerizing “hunger dance”. She plays her part in getting Mowgli to safety.

Shere Khan, is a vicious man-eating Bengal Tiger who is the main villain and the archenemy of Mowgli and will be played by Clive Gilson. Peoples Theatre were very fortunate to work with Clive in Peter Pan in 2016 and are happy to have him back on their stage to bring alive the three characters he will be portraying (Shere Khan, Colonel Hathi and King Louie).

Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS opens at the Peoples Theatre at the Joburg Theatre Complex with preview performances from Monday, 2nd March. The official show opening is on Sunday, 8th March. The season runs until Sunday, 26th April.

Performance times are Mondays to Friday at 9am and 11am, Saturdays at 10:30am and 2.30pm as well as all Sundays and Public Holidays.

Ticket prices are R145 for general public or R100 for members of the Peoples Theatre kids Club (You can become a member for R120 membership fee – contact Peoples Theatre on 011 403 1563/ 2340 for more information).

To book tickets call Sean on 011 403 1563 / 2340 or email the theatre at info@peoplestheatre.co.za.

For more information visit www.peoplestheatre.co.za

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Fading Broadway producer Max Bialystok (played by Alan Committie) is desperate to get to the top of his profession again, and finds an unlikely ally in mousy accountant Leo Bloom (Richard White), who predicts that one could make far more money with a flop of a show than with a hit. Together, the two set out to produce the worst musical ever to hit Broadway. Unfortunately for them, their show is a huge hit! With no shortage of show-stopping musical numbers, and Brooks’ signature humor keeping audiences in stitches, The Producers is definitely far from a flop.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

Wed – Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 4pm & 8pm, Sun @ 2:30pm & 6pm
Tickets: R120, R180, R280, R380
Bookings @ Theatre Box Office (011) 511 1818 and at Computicket

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