If Shakespeare is only a book in a classroom, the experience can be very dull indeed ... Fortunately for learners and teachers in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, there are numerous opportunities in the weeks and months ahead to encounter Shakespeare’s plays as they were intended - live and on stage!
Hamlet is a prominent presence on South African stages at the moment - and it’s only partly because the play is widely prescribed as a school setwork. Theatre makers love getting to grips with this iconic work.
Cape Town audiences have been spoiled for choice recently, with Janni Younge’s production (featured in our previous post) at the Baxter Theatre running at the same time as Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer’s new version at the Artscape Theatre.
This Hamlet, featuring A&M Productions’ distinctive design, costume and lighting aesthetic, stars Matthew Baldwin, Lungi Lallie, Tailyn Ramsamy, Thinus Viljoen, Marcel Meyer and Nkosinathi Mazwai. It closes on 11 March.
Thinktheatre, marking 20 years of its touring production of Othello and 12 years of its Hamlet, is staging this powerful pairing (directed by Clare Mortimer) at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in Durban until 17 March. The cost is R100 per learner and the programme of performances can be found here, or email doreen@thinktheatre.co.za for bookings.
In May, the Thinktheatre cast and crew will travel to Johannesburg to present Othello and Hamlet at the UJ Arts Centre. To whet the appetite, here are some images from previous productions!
The National Children’s Theatre recently announced a production of The Tempest, directed by Lucy Wylde Ferreira (above), running from 8 May until 2 June. The show will open at the NCT’s outdoor theatre in Parktown, Johannesburg, and then will travel to schools around Gauteng.
Bookings: cindy@nctheatresa.org.za
And finally: if you’re in Cape Town, a new travelling Hamlet could be coming soon to a school near you!
After the success of its touring Macbeth last year, Educasions has added this Hamlet to its repertoire and will be giving “command performances” at schools on Thursday mornings from April onwards.
The cost is R60 per learner (minimum 100 learners), which includes a Q&A session after each performance and a resource pack.
Bookings: educasions@gmail.com