TheatreSports treks East
After a teeny, intimate and very sweet show at The Intimate last night, we are all getting ready to pack up and go to the G’town fest. Eek. Time is upon us. I’ve got a meeting and millions of things to do today, before I pick up our TS muso Hannelore at 6am tomorrow morning, and we get on the road in an overstuffed Opel Corsa.
It’s always hilarious to see the various modes of transport, and what they carry, to the fest. We will have five bright orange plastic chairs, a scoreboard, easel, two PVC banners, our personal luggage, and us squeezed in. We travel light with TheatreSports; no set or costumes to worry about. Great.
This year we decided not to make flyers (embarrassing and horrible to hand out) or posters (hell to put up only to be torn down again, or stuck over) and we’ve made badges and stickers. We saw the badges yesterday and they are pretty cool. Candice will get the stickers today.
The one thing I am really struggling with is leaving Noah of Cape Town for a week. It’s not that I actually do anything. But, I’m around. And it’s hard to go and be so far away. Thank the gods of technology for cellphones hey?
The Satyr of Springbok Heights
What an impressive premier of a local movie. The Labia was buzzing last night with friends, media and even the stars of this little movie, who had arrived for the first official screening.
The Satyr of Springbok Heights is produced, directed and written by Robert Silke, who had all sorts of help from everybody involved on lots of levels, and so it’s this collaborative effort that makes the film work.
It’s all about this block of flats across the way from the Company Gardens in the middle of town, its history, design, and the people who lived, and live there, including a Satyr!
The movie is a mocumentary in the style of Confetti and I love the genre. There are two streams to the film; ‘real’ interviews with people who play themselves, talking about the block, Springbok Heights, and actors playing the people who live there. The ‘real’ people are architecture professor Fabio Todeschini, John Caviggia who knows everything about every style and period of everything, being a drama expert, and Sunday Times columnist Lin Sampson, who, slumped and virtually immobile in her chair, is hilarious and totally weird. Oh, and there are two excellent and very real cameos from two delightful street people, one very friendly and one not so very.
Some of the actors are Godfrey Johnson, who plays Wouter Malan, Victoria Caballaire who plays Hilda Steyn, Nicholas Spagnoletti who plays poor Nathan Golding and Nicole Franco who plays one part of a ‘lebanese’ couple. This is where the movie gets a little uneven. While the characters are huge and hilarious, the performance style is a little too big for the fake documentary style. Most successful is Nicholas Spagnoletti who underplays poor Nathan Golding perfectly. The others are terribly funny, but not very ‘real’, and even though I loved huge Hilda Steyn, I would have preferred slightly more ‘naturalistic’ performances.
That, and the funny way Lin Sampson referred to everybody in the past tense, were my two sticking points. Otherwise, I think the whole thing was quite fabulous. I loved Sean Michau’s music. I loved Nigel Murphy’s off screen interviews. I loved John Caviggia because he is so entertaining, and I mostly loved the fact that with no budget at all, Robert and his friends and connections made a full length feature and bladdy well put it on. Bravo to all involved!
Stone Words soaring ideas
I have just come back from a preview performance of Stone Words before it goes off to G’town. It’s one of The Cape Town Edge’s offerings at the fest this year. Stone Words is a collection of poems, written and performed by Khadija Tracey Heeger, who is accompanied by Glen Arendse on percussion (of all kinds) and Linda Tshabalala on sax (mainly), directed by Jaqueline Dommisse.
What a lovely gem (’scuse the pun!) of a show. Khadija’s poems are extraordinary and they are varied too, covering a range of emotions, topics, styles and forms. They are in turn clever, funny, poignant, sensual, harsh and and moving. And Khadija performs them brilliantly.
Jaqueline’s direction is so strong, courageous and deft that she weaves a tapestry of light and dark with precision and minute detail. Even though you are watching and listening to a bunch of poems it feels like you are listening to a whole album; one that has themes, moods and cycles. The set and costumes are fantastic and evocative, and beautiful to look at.
Then there are the musicians who support the poems and create their universe so originally. My favourites were the traditional one string mouth bows and the laughing string can. Towards the end of the show there was some delicious interaction with them and Khadija. I think there could be more; they are so engaging and interesting. They mostly are the score but sometimes they are like a table of sound effects for specific words, which is a delight. And sometimes very funny.
I was expecting a precious (even slightly up its arse, you know how poetry can get) show and it absolutely wasn’t. Not once. It was an inspirational, engaging time and will be for anyone who loves good words and sounds.
What a Week
It’s been a crazy week, and I don’t have that comforting feeling that it’s the weekend and I can kick back and relax. I think it is pretty much going to get more hectic, right up until I leave for Grahamstown. No, it will be hectic then too. Ok, until I get back from G’town. No, that will bring me straight into pre-opening of Noah. Sheesh. Buckle up.
This week has been full of putting out Noah fires. Yes, even in the coldest, wettest weather. On Monday the Noah set arrived in our old venue (The Curved Space in Woodstock) and it was too big to be worked on. Simon found a new space and we moved the monster set and all the sound to Wet Pups (Western Province Preparatory School) where we are using the hall. Luckily it’s school holidays. We also realised that we needed a stage manager. Don’t ask. Well, we got one. It’s been stressful.
But yesterday afternoon we watched a run through. On the set, with the cast of magnificents. Three young ladies from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning came to watch the rehearsal and it was a delight to chat to them, hear their passion, and see how they were inspired by the work.
Our poster and programme are going to print next week. They are stunning. The show looks and sounds amazing. I can’t wait for the actual thing. I can’t wait.
Michael and Farrah
I have woken up this morning to find that both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcet have died. I got upset when Big Friendly said our generation is starting to die out, but it’s true. Hectic.
The Noah of Cape Town Set
I had to dash off to the rehearsal venue for a quick meeting and Jaci called us into the rehearsal space to “take a look”. She was dying for us to see the actors working with the set. Simon, Floss and I went in and it was like seeing another show, another level, another world, another possibility. I have to say, Jaci is a visionary. There is this huge metal hexagon that is steeply raked and made up of giant triangles, and everything is see through and… I could never begin to accurately explain. The actors are singing, while standing on this massive thing, while being spun around! I was awestruck and dumbfounded and excited and moved. Just you wait. Noah of Cape Town is coming. Just you wait!
Here is a picture of Walter, the production manager, helping to put the monster together.
The Joy
It was cold and miserable last night, but that didn’t stop a whole bunch of people coming to TheatreSports, and it was a real goodie. Ryan emceed for the first time and he rocked. He was just the right amount of charming, chatty, informative and involved. Bravo!
We did a few really good scenes and there were a few completely ‘out there’ suggestions from the audience. We had an expert in ‘dairy cow fluffing’, an opera called ‘The Butcher of the Ghetto’ and an inventor who had mad a time machine out of peanut butter. Our last game was a sci-fi musical.
We have a show tonight and next week, and then we leave fro G’town. Come check us out.
Oh, and we have two very sexy new banners! I am so excited.
Noah is coming!
Yesterday afternoon a handful of us gathered in the rehearsal room in Woodstock to see a run through of Noah of Cape Town. Jaci had warned us earlier that the cast were nowhere near ready to be doing a run through; they had only really done detailed work on act 1 and they weren’t ready for an audience. I think she was protecting them and making sure that everybody understood how early on in the process it is. And there is no set, no costumes, no anything, except for the cast.
Needless to say, we were all totally blown away. Literally. Jaci, Amanda and the cast are doing the most amazing job. The story is being brought to life in the most conscious, creative and honest way. And as for the music, it is magnificent. Although it is quite long; almost two hours, it is absolutely riveting.
You know that thing where you are watching something completely amazing and every time anyone does something or sings or says something you think that they are your best, until the next person sings or speaks? That’s what happened to me yesterday. I fell in love with 16 people. Hopelessly, overwhelmingly in love. This cast is unbelievable.
Sometimes I wish all people could see this part of the rehearsal process. It is so raw, so alive, so electric. I was honoured and grateful and terribly emotional. But not as emotional as Simon Cooper, who was wracked with sobs at the end of the run. Oh Simon, our dreams are literally coming true. Our dreams are coming true.
Yes! Elizabeth: Almost By Chance a Woman
What a great way to break the drought of plays. I am a reluctant and stingy standing ovationer but I was quickly up on my feet to applaud the cast, but mainly, Robyn Scott, lead supreme of this fantastic show.
Last night at the Little Theatre was exactly how theatre should be. There was a buzz in the air. The full house of audience came early and ate pies and drank beer (what a cool idea). Then we went inside and saw a brilliant script fantastically executed.
Elizabeth: Almost By Chance a Woman is the most unwieldy title of a delicious comedy written by genius and Nobel prize for Literature winner, playwright Dario Fo. Its subject is Queen Elizabeth, who is completely off her rocker. It is this that helps make this theatrical experience so wonderful. The play’s subject matter is irreverent and completely obscure, yet the brilliant script draws you in and the journey is a theatrical delight.
The supporting cast in this production are great. My favourite was Nicholas Dallas who plays Egerton. He is hilarious. Shirley Johnston has the unbelievably difficult job of playing poor Martha and she does so very well. It is a bit like the teeniest moon orbiting the biggest planet; but that’s what it is. Scott Sparrow in a dress and playing Dame Grosslady is weird and hilarious in turns. I had no idea what he was talking about for most of the time, but even that was very, very funny. Jaco Nothnagel and James McGregor were also delightful in their small parts.
But, let’s face it, it’s the Robyn Scott show. And she is mind blowing. I don’t know where it comes from, but every nuance, movement, sound, tic, step, gesture, pause, cry, every moment is theatrical magic. She is riveting, hilarious, moving and huge. It is no small feat to pull off a monster of a part like this, and she is totally brilliant.
Chris Weare is in his directorial element here. You can see the fun he had with this one. And Daniel Galloway’s lighting, in the difficult Little Theatre, was really, really good. I also have to mention the costumes by Penny Simpson from Artscape, which were absolutely fabulous.
So, I imagine the long and obscure title is not going to make people run off to book tickets, therefore I am taking on the role of urging, nagging, cajoling and threatening people. Guys, if you miss this one you really will miss out. This is what theatre is all about.
Afrika
I just love this.
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Randomness
