21 July 2014 grapevinetuks@gmail.com You heard it here first

Lillian Selapisa and Pieter van der Lillian Selapisa and Pieter van der Lillian Selapisa and Pieter van der Lillian Selapisa and Pieter van der Merwe Merwe Merwe Merwe

W ith a theatrical work in which a horse race track is turned into a killing

field for love, so begins this year’s Krêkvars Student Arts Festival.

Anna K, based on the horse race scene in Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1877), was the UP Dra-ma Department’s official physical theatre production for this year’s National Arts festival in Graham-stown.

The work is choreographed by Bailey Snyman, a lecturer at the

Drama Department and also the 2013 Standard Bank Young Artist award winner for dance, alongside frequent collaborator Nicola Haskins, a master’s Drama student who won various awards (including the Ovation Award in 2011).

Snyman said their piece is not based on Anna Karenina but rather inspired by it. He chose to focus on one moment from the original novel to portray the destructive powers of love through movement.

From the stables to the race track, a dark battle ensues between the characters. “They are willing to destroy each other’s relationships to

fulfil their own relationships and desires,” said Snyman.

Snyman chose the title Anna K because he did not want people to make too many associations with Tolstoy’s novel. He said it’s not an exact re-telling of the story. Although the audience may be familiar with the original story, they should expect something different.

The production is a 50-minute long performance with seven cast members. The piece is much faster than conventional contemporary dance. “It will smack you in the face,” said Snyman.

Love trampled on racetrack

The physical theatre production, Anna K features Michal Swann (left), Bailey Snyman and Noxolo Dlamini

(right). They are pictured here at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. Photos: ANDRÉ COETZEE

21 July 2014 P 2

Tech crews enjoy own bit of drama

P reparing for a theatre pro-duction is like studying for a final exam only it is more

scary. As audience members sit com-

fortably, enjoying the entertainment of these productions, the technical crew are nervously biting their nails hoping that everything runs smoothly.

Bailey Snyman, Krêkvars Stu-dent Arts Festival’s Technical Direc-tor, who is also a Drama lecturer at the University of Pretoria, sits in the tech box located at the back of the theatre. He is guiding the stu-dents in charge of lights and sound.

This award winning dance chore-ographer says with an event such as Krêkvars, tech briefings start as early as 7am and teams are allocat-ed to different productions.

“It is long hours. Lots of people want to organise things at the last minute that haven’t been requested before, and we just do it with a

smile on the face doing the best that we can with the limited resources that we have,” said Snyman.

Most technical assistants are first year drama students. They are gaining valuable experience and skills in working at Krêkvars.

There are three teams assigned to five productions which form part of the technical crew.

Stage manager for DieBoek, John Attfield, says teamwork is es-sential when working on a produc-tion.

“Each person will be in charge of a different aspect such as lighting, sound; and I have to ensure the work gets done.”

Performers are not the only ones who will be aiming for the best quality when Krêkvars opens.

Snyman says he aims for the technical crew to produce quality for each shows so that the audience will see it is as being well planned and not just a student based arts festival, but a festival that has a special edge to it.

A member of the Red Ream tech-

nical crew working at the Masker

theatre during a rehearsal for Die

Benoeming.

Photo: SHERNELL PATHER

Robyn Baragwanath

DECIDING WHICH performances to attend at an arts festival can be quite daunting. To combat this problem, organisers at the Krêkvars Student Arts Festival have introduced ShortCuts - a preview of things to come.

According to festival organizer Missy Maguire, ShortCuts is an interactive, live form of advertising that allows artists to give a brief preview of their work to potential audiences. This, Maguire hopes, will give festivalgoers a better sense of what Krêkvars has to offer than a two-dimensional poster.

ShortCuts will be shown at 15:00 daily throughout the festival. Each hour long slot will comprise of several ‘short cuts’ from various performances and will be per-formed in the Drama Quad.

Each ShortCut performance will last approximately five minutes.

Time for a quick look Show your talent, test your

knowledge at ‘Die Bok’

Eréne Oberholzer and Pieter van Eréne Oberholzer and Pieter van Eréne Oberholzer and Pieter van Eréne Oberholzer and Pieter van

der Merweder Merweder Merweder Merwe

PERFORMERS AND festivalgoers will again have a place to unwind during this year’s Krêkvars Student Arts Festival .

Die Bok, run by second year Drama students, serves food and beverages and hosts a number of competitions. It can be found next to the Lier theatre.

The Mr and Mrs Krêkvars com-petition makes its return, with the winners decided through a series of events. Entry is open to anyone.

The events include a talent com-petition, a question and answer event, a couples dance competition and a unique version of the popular reality television show, The Amaz-ing Race.

Those who are interested in try-ing their luck, can enter for Mr and Mrs Krêkvars at Die Bok, starting today from 8:00.

The winners will be crowned on Saturday evening at 18:00.

Poetry evenings, a dance compe-tition and a foosball tournament will form part of the entertainment for the week.

Entrance for the events at Die Bok are free.

Krêkvars will showcase around 40 performances.

These vary from theatre, physi-cal theatre, comedy and drama to performance art.

The week-long festival starts today and the first performance is at 09:00. Tickets are available at iTickets.co.za (R15) as well as at the theatre doors (R20).

Shernell PatherShernell PatherShernell PatherShernell Pather

Danielle de Bruyn

T he ambassador of Panama to

South Africa, Roderigo

Chiari, is reviving a forty-

year-old play for this year‟s

Krêkvars Student Arts Festival

stage.

Ambassador Chiari wrote,

directed, produced and starred in

Miller PI: L.A. Charades, which was

originally called Mrs Wellbourne‟s Lost Jewels Affair, when it was first

showcased in 1975. Chiari was a

teenager then. The play, which is a

dark comedy, was originally written

in english.

Miller PI follows the story of an

amateur detective, Ryan Miller,

who is tasked with finding the

stolen jewels of a wealthy lady from

Los Angeles, Mrs Wellbourne.

“Sharing my knowledge and ex-

perience with this generation is why

I still love to do this,” said Chiari.

He said the young South African

actors he is working with in this

production give him hope for drama

in this country.

“I want to give back to the young

talent in this country. If I can teach

them something then I am happy.”

According to him the future

looks bright for acting, not just in a

South African context. He feels that

by directing this play he is able to

give the students another oppor-

tunity to learn about acting.

“This festival is a way for you as

students and for members of the

public to support your drama

students and to see what the future

of South African drama is going to

be like,” said Chiari.

∎ Miller PI: L..A. Charades will be

on stage in the Masker between

24 July and 26 July.

Foreign support for local talent

21 July 2014 P 3

From left: Matthew Luyt, Jo-Anne McQuirk and Roderigo Chiari during

a tech review for Miller PI: L.A. Charades.

Photo: DANIELLE DE BRUYN

Puppets say what people are not allowed to Lucy Davey

WOULD YOU take notice of what a

puppet says to you? For the first

time Krêkvars will be presenting a

form of art that is often overlooked:

puppetry.

The Small Puppet Theatre will

be open every day of the festival

from 10:30 to 12:00, 14:30 to 16:00

and in the evenings from 19:00 to

late. The locations will be alternat-

ing between Oom Gert se Plek, the

IT building and Agriculture Annexe

building.

Small Puppet Theatre will be

showcasing a number of shows

throughout the week.

“It will be a mobile theatre, like

an old fashioned TV, that can move

around and reach people that are

not part of the Drama Department,”

explained producer Corné Joubert.

“It is very exploratory,” said

Joubert. The shows will allow mem-

bers of the public the opportunity to

participate and interact with the

puppets. From hand-made paper

puppets to traditional hand puppets,

the show will give people the chance

to express their own thoughts and

ideas.

“A puppet can say things that a

person isn‟t allowed to,” said

Joubert.

The Small Puppet Theatre shies

away from the traditional concept of

puppetry as different themes will be

explored including gender and polit-

ical issues.

The show will also serve as a

platform to promote other Krêkvars

productions.

“A range of puppets will be avail-

able for people to advertise their

own shows,” said director Lizl Lom-

bard.

Due to its experimental nature,

there will be improvisation. There

will be an open mic for people who

want to perform slam poetry and

music. Musician Jay Schoeman will

perform an acoustic set on friday. A

photo booth will also be available to

capture the moment.

The shows are free of charge,

aimed at bringing the theatre to the

people.

∎ For more information contact

Lizl Lombard on: 072 436 2067 or

alternatively visit

www.facebook.com/

smallmobilepuppettheatre.

21 July 2014 P 4

Lisa Kahimbaara

W alking between the

campus kiosk and the

Lier theatre, Mona

Monyane is stopped by three

security guards asking to take a

photo of her. “I don’t think I’ll ever

get used to people recognising me,”

she says looking bemused.

Monyane’s new found fame comes

from landing the role of

Nthabeleng on the popular

SABC2 soap, Muvhango.

Acting is not the only aspect of

performance the 24-year-old is

passionate about: Mavis is the

fourth play she is showcasing at

the Krêkvars Student Arts Festi-

val.

“You are either a vessel or you

create, sometimes you can be both.

I’ve always believed in using my

craft to get people to think or help

people to heal,” says Monyane.

Mavis is about domestic workers

and the plight of these silent

members of society.

Monyane says that the idea

came to her on her trips home

from work. “We see these ladies J sitting on the grass on the side of

the road in their uniform chatting

away and I wondered what they

were talking about,” she says,

“they are the most undervalued

members of society but they do

such important work; they take

care of people’s children and

homes.” Monyane wanted to ex-

plore the idea of what would hap-

pen if these silent labourers were

given a microphone. “Imagine if

the maids at Nkandla would just

take a moment and tell us a sto-

ry!” she says with a smile. Though

she admits that the play is littered

with comedic moments, she be-

lieves that Mavis deals with a

very serious topic.

“These are voiceless members of

society and we take for granted

that these are human beings with

stories of their own. You can’t just

always be telling stories of the

elite,” says Monyane.

Although Monyane did not

speak to domestic workers while

writing the play, she believes that

observation and an accumulation

of encounters enabled her to tell

their story.

She listened to domestic work-

ers in taxis talking about the frus-

tration they feel towards their

“madams”. Monyane’s grandmoth-

er was a domestic worker which

also helped her writing process.

Monyane completed her drama

degree in 2011 at UP and is hope-

ful about the future of her career.

“I’ve been working in the industry

for three years. Though I’m ex-

tremely grateful for my new role

on TV this is not my first rodeo.”

‘Muvhango’ star comes back to stage

Mona Monyane

Photo: LISA KAHIMBAARA

The cast of Mavis rehearsing. Photo: MONA MONYANE

21 July 2014 P 5

Ilka van Schalkwyk

EVER SINCE Myer Taub arrived

at the University of Pretoria in

2011 to take up his teaching post

in the Drama Department, he has

been working on DieBoek, a deri-

vation of the original Yiddish play

Dybbuk written by S. Ansky in

1914.

It took three years for Taub to

create his version of DieBoek, with

tweaks here and there until a new

story began to emerge.

The play is about a young Jew-

ish girl who is possessed by a de-

mon the night before her wedding.

In Taub’s version the girl Leah is

shipwrecked and displaced. She is

also South African as the Afri-

kaans title implies.

Taub, who has blurred the dis-

tinction between fine art and per-

formance in his academic career,

has been fascinated by the idea of

adaptation for a while.

He has been challenged by “how

to adapt previous works into new

works” and is pleased to finally

have one under his belt. He want-

ed to play with the idea of a text

within a text which then creates a

new text.

In the play the lead character,

Leah, emerges from one text into

another causing ructions all

around and through this disturb-

ance a new story or text unfolds.

Growing up in Johannesburg as

a gay Jewish child placed Myer

Taub in a unique position.

His parents were middle class

Johannesburg Jews. His culture,

his sexuality and his love of dra-

ma has served him well; he has

gone on to become a writer, direc-

tor and performance artist.

“Art in South Africa is extraordi-

nary” says Taub, “More and more

people are becoming interested in

the value of art, not just material

value, but its worth within social

spaces”.

Taub has often been compared to

one of South Africa’s radical per-

formance artists, Steven Cohen,

because of how he uses his body in

showcasing his culture and sexu-

ality. A

Taub, who has established a sig-

nature rough approach to his

work, has managed to establish

himself in both the theatre world

and the art world which should

make for a very challenging play.

■DieBoek will be performed at the

Drama Quad on the 23rd, 24th

and the 26th as part of the

Krêkvars Students Arts Festival.

Christabel Andile Chisvo

T he Ugandan Anti-

Homosexual Bill forms

the backdrop to a “radical

protest theatre production” at this

year’s Krêkvars Student Arts Fes-

tival. This drama, Last Breath, stars creator Mduduzi Nhlapo and

Alphieus Ralapelle.

It tells the story of a man who

is persecuted for his sexual orien-

tation. Nhlapo is a former UP

Drama student who created an-

other protest theatre production

last year, titled Who Stole the E-Toll.

According to Bailey Snyman,

technical director of the Krêkvars

festival, protest theatre became

popular between the 1970s and

early 1990s in South Africa. It was

used to protest against political

oppression and racial segregation.

Although protest theatre did

not originate in South Africa, the

genre is especially successful here,

according to Snyman. Local plays

such as Sophiatown and Woza Al-bert both received international

recognition.

Snyman said protest theatre

has taken a backseat since the end

of apartheid. However, it has be-

gun to resurface because of politi-

cal, economic and social dissatis-

faction.

Protest theatre is not just fo-

cused on political and racial is-

sues. “Over the past few years

protest theatre productions have

begun surfacing as morality plays

which is a new form of protest,”

said Snyman.

He lists Lara Foot Newton’s

Tshepang as one of the best exam-

ples. This play dealt with child

rape. “Protest theatre is no longer

just about blackness or white-

ness,” said Snyman.

■Last Breath will be performed at

the Chapel tomorrow, Friday and

Saturday.

Mduduzi Nhlapo is a physical

theatre artist who is bringing a

protest theatre piece to

krêkvars.

Photo: PROVIDED

Taub adapts century old

play as ‘text within text’

Protest theatre fights foreign bias

21 July 2014 P 6

A few months after Stephanie Gericke won a professional prize at the Woordfees festi-

val in Stellenbosch, she is back on stage in two productions at the Krêkvars Student Arts Festival. One of these, Een duisend babas, she created herself.

Gericke won the 2014 “Woordtrofee vir die Uitskieter” for her role as Melusine van Arkadia. This play was recognized as the best production at last year’s Krêkvars festival. Melusine van Arkadia will be performed at the Aardklop Arts Festival this October.

Gericke, who is a graduate from the University of Pretoria’s Drama Department, has received a number of other accolades for her stage work over the past few years.

“I feel very honoured and blessed to have received this award,” says Gericke about her Woordfees prize.

She says the award inspires her to get more involved in the industry.

She calls her own play at this year’s festival a “drama and experi-mental” piece.

“There is no strict format of a beginning, middle and end. Move-ment becomes a symbol for the themes in the play.”

Gericke was inspired by the Rus-sian Kewpie doll when she wrote Een duisend babas.

“I saw it as a metaphor of the perfect baby and the symbol of the perfect child.”

She says she always writes with the final look of the stage produc-tion in mind. Gericke will also star in her aunt Corné Joubert’s experi-mental play Die Benoeming.

Gericke will play the role of Ad-am in an Afrikaans recreation of the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

She does not believe the fame has gone to her head. But the award has brought more opportunities of meeting well-known people within

theatre, she says. These connections could lead to potential work in the future.

∎ Gericke will be on stage in Een Duisend Babas at the Lier from 23 July until 25 July.

∎ She will also perform in Die Benoeming at the Masker from tomorrow until 24 July.

Award inspires Gericke

to new heights

Krêkvars is ‘safe environment’ for students

THE winner of the best director at this year’s Student Festival of the National Arts Festival (NAF) in Grahamstown, says his prize shows that he is “doing something right”.

Gopala Davies, who won the award for his work on Barbe Bleue: a story about madness, says he is honoured to have received this award.

The production was the official entry of the University of Pretoria’s Drama Department for the NAF Student Festival. Seventeen institu-tions took part in this festival.

Barbe Bleue makes use of new media technology and an adapta-tion of the age-old tale of Bluebeard to portray the effect madness has on a relationship.

Davies is busy using Barbe Bleue as a case study to explore the use of technology in live perfor-mances for his master’s degree at UP.

He has been involved with Krêkvars since 2008 and has fond memories of the festival.

“Krêkvars provides a unique experience for drama students at UP to perform in a safe environ-ment,” he said.

“Every year the festival grows from strength to strength. The festi-val is used as a practical for stu-dents to experience stage art in its various forms from hospitality to costume design, directing and per-formance with each year of study specialising in an aspect.” ∎ Barbe Bleue: a story about mad-

ness will be showing in the Lier today, 24 and 26 July.

Stephanie Gericke

Photo: PROVIDED

Gopala Davies

Photo: PROVIDED

Dan Lombard Dan Lombard Dan Lombard Dan Lombard

ZZZZeenat Pateleenat Pateleenat Pateleenat Patel

Noxolo Dlamini during a technical rehearsal for Anna K.

Photo: PIETER VAN DER MERWE

Fast facts:

∎ Dlamini started performing in pre-

school.

∎ She went to the Na�onal School of

Arts then later moved to a Catholic

School.

∎ Her mother ini�ally wanted her to

study science however she insisted

that her passion was drama.

S inger, dancer and actress Noxolo “Noxi” Dlamini (20) is a 3rd-year drama student

with a real commitment to her pas-sion. In this year's Krêkvars Stu-dent Arts Festival, she performs in three productions; Sugarcane Fields, Benjamin Walt and Anna K.

Noxi plays the lead role in Anna K . She is a woman married to a famous politician who has fallen in love with another man. The show is set in Russia and explores themes of fidelity, jealousy, passion and marriage.

Rehearsals for these shows start-ed nearly two months ago and the cast has been working tirelessly to get the show ready. Noxi says: “I was glad to be part of these three productions because I love what I do and I have a passion for the arts.

Therefore I was able to make time for each show and to balance my schedule.”

Drama and the arts kept her out of trouble and, growing up, it was the only thing she had a real inter-est in. She says her drive and ex-citement about performing on stage in front of an audience kept her go-ing.

“I love giving it my all and get-ting that feeling of being so tired from performing and just wanting my bed.”

She draws inspiration from her mother who is a business woman. Noxi describes her as a very hard-working woman who also loves what she does. “My mother never stops working, even when she's in bed, she's thinking of ideas and ways to better herself and that in-spires me.” Noxi wants to continue training in contemporary dancing and improve her singing through

vocal training. She intends to audition for a role

in The Lion King as well as other roles that may give her more expo-sure in the arts.

∎ Anna K will be on stage at the

Masker today, Wednesday and Friday.

∎ Dlamini will also perform in Sugarcane Fields and Benjamin Walt.

Singer, actress, dancer in three plays

21 July 2014 P 7

Thelma NgomaThelma NgomaThelma NgomaThelma Ngoma

21 July 2014 P 8

21 July MASKER LIER CHAPEL QUAD

09:00 Benjamin Walt

10:00 By Proxy

11:00 Meisie

12:00 Behind Closed

Doors

Mama

13:00 Verafrikaans(sing)

14:00 Mee$ng Iris Die Kamer Bo

15:00 Golan Heights SHORT CUTS

16:00 Versteekte

Gronde

Sommige

Goed...Kas Bly

17:00 Barbe Bleue

18:00 Life of an Ar$st Small Talk

19:00 Mavis FILMS (Studio)

20:00 Anna K The Stonehouse

Project

21:00 Kadawer

22:00 Chairs Koek—Koek

22:30 Ira

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