SA Shakespeares in the news

September 26, 2021 Chris T

This week saw the publication of two very different articles providing insight into the diversity of South African Shakespeares.

First it was the turn of Shakespeare ZA to enjoy some limelight, with prestigious scholarly journal Shakespeare Bulletin publishing a review of our #lockdownshakespeare project by Dr Henry Bell of the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). Monologue performances by Soyiso Ndaba, Buhle Ngaba, Amanda Seome, Oarabile Ditsele, Liatile Mohale and Ashleigh Harvey get special mention. You can read all about it via Project Muse or the UWS archive.

Then Laetitia Pople of Netwerk24 wrote an article about the announcement of an exciting partnership between our friends at the Tsikinya-Chaka Centre (TCC) and Legacy Underwriting Managers (LUM). The focus is on Afrikaans Shakespeares - recuperating the old and pioneering the new!

Click on the headline below to be directed to Netwerk24.

Shakespeare Schools Festival events in September

September 6, 2021 Chris T

[PRESS RELEASE]

The third instalment of this year’s Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSFSA) will begin in Johannesburg on September 8, 2021. Thereafter the SSFSA will be presented in Durban, George and Gqeberha (the latter as a combined event with Makhanda).

The SSFSA, now in its eleventh year, is Africa’s largest annual Shakespeare youth drama festival. It strengthens the link between the arts and education, uniting and empowering children from across socio-economic spectrum using the transformational power of theatre and specifically the works of Shakespeare to achieve that goal. To date the SSFSA has seen the participation of more than 557 schools, over 10 000 learners and 693 educators across the various provinces in the country. Online and in-person audiences this year have totaled close to 26 000 people.

Hout Bay International School in Macbeth 2021 at Artscape.jpg

De La Bat School for the Deaf in Anthony and Cleopatra.jpg

As a creative outlet the SSFSA is an opportunity for young people, both at school and in amateur drama groups, to tap in to the performing arts, explore their dramatic capabilities and unlock their acting potential in a stress-free and non-competitive situation. Learners also enjoy on-stage coaching and accrue tips from professionals about costuming, lighting and set design while simultaneously gleaning skills beneficial to anyone working within the theatre industry.

For the festival, each school is required to prepare and perform an abridged version of the Shakespeare play of their choice, approximately 30-45 minutes in duration. The organisers encourage individuality and innovation, all the while fostering an atmosphere of camaraderie between schools, learners and educators. Staging a Shakespeare play is undoubtedly a challenge - for both novices and professional actors! - and in light of this the SSFSA provides guidance and resources throughout the preparation process.

The next SSFSA dates are as follows: Johannesburg Theatre from 8 - 11 September; the Playhouse Theatre in Durban from 28 -30 September, the George Theatre in George from 10-12 September and The Little Theatre in Gqeberha (including Makhanda schools) on 18 and 19 September 2021.

For exact dates, ticket info and venues in each city, please visit the festival’s Facebook page or visit www.ssfsa.org.za.

[ENDS]

A Dream: Shakespeare beats Covid

July 20, 2021 Chris T

The excitement of our blog post last month was followed by disappointment, as Covid put the kibosh on yet another South African Shakespeare production. With the onset of a third wave of Coronavirus infections, the country had to reimpose previously lifted restrictions; this meant that Kickstart’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Durban Botanic Gardens had to be deferred.

Of course, this sadness was nothing compared to the sorrow, fear and deprivation experienced by so many people in KwaZulu-Natal following the violence, looting and destruction that ravaged the province earlier this month. It has been a grim time for our country.

There are, however, chinks of light and signs of hope. Community solidarity and a citizen-driven cleanup operation in KZN. The expansion of the vaccine delivery programme. Perhaps South Africa is slowly - very slowly - emerging from this winter of discontent.

If it’s encouragement you’re after, look no further than Perchance to Dream, an inspiring rendition of various Shakespearean scenes by a talented group of young performers from Westville Boys’ and Westville Girls’ High Schools near Durban. This “fantasy collage” of extracts from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, The Tempest, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night was a site-specific production that moved through various spaces on the Westville Boys’ High School grounds.

A recording of the production (which took place from 17-19 June) is now available. You can find out more about the cast and creative team here. As director Steven Stead has affirmed, “We could all do with a little respite and Dream time right now” - so enjoy!

A Midsummer Night's Dream in Durban

June 22, 2021 Chris T

Covid has contrived to keep Shakespeare off South African stages for much of the past year and more. But there is good news for audiences in KwaZulu-Natal: an outdoor Midsummer Night's Dream in Durban’s (mild) winter!

Kickstart Theatre Productions presents this perennial favourite in the magical, moonlit Amphitheatre in the Durban Botanic Gardens.

It promises to be a “classy, classic, naughty and novel night out”! Bring cushions to sit on and blankets to keep you warm. Book for one of the nine limited-capacity performances through Computicket.

Playing the Knave, Decolonising Shakespeare

May 22, 2021 Chris T

Professor Gina Bloom of the University of California, Davis was on sabbatical in Cape Town last year when Covid struck - and lockdowns ensued! One upshot of her extended stay in South Africa was the opportunity to collaborate with theatre maker and educator Lauren Bates.

Bloom and Bates have been piloting the implementation of Play the Knave in South African schools. Play the Knave is a mixed reality video game that enables virtual design and performance of scenes from Shakespeare - a wonderful way to get students to play (and play with) Shakespeare. It was designed by Bloom and a group of colleagues at UC Davis to be a portable teaching and learning tool. All a school needs is a TV or projector.

Says Bloom: “Lauren will start bringing the game and our co-developed lessons into Western Cape classrooms for a trial run starting in July and we hope that once we iron out all the kinks, we can start planning to distribute the game kits as loan resources to school districts.”

Bloom and Bates presented their work to a seminar at the Shakespeare Association of America's annual meeting in April, and subsequently as part of a series on digital Shakespeares for San Diego State University’s Digital Humanities Initiative.