9
771607
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West Side Story in Joburg
The Sound of Music in Durban
2 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP15). The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (Reg. No. 1962/000738/06). Moving Forward is a trademark of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited. SBSA 249503
Where there is passion
We are inspired
Left to right: Abel Selaocoe (Music) Thandazile Radebe (Dance) Beth Diane Armstrong (Visual Art) Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi (Theatre) Dineo Seshee Bopape (Performance Art) Benjamin Jephta (Jazz) #SBYA
www.standardbank.com/sbya
Cover image: Bianca le Grange and Christopher Jaftha in West Side Story
cover story 24 WEST SIDE STORY
36
The Fugard Theatre production of West Side
Abel Selaocoe, Thandazile Radebe, Beth Diane
YOUNG ARTISTS
Story, which enjoyed a staggeringly successful,
Armstrong, Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi, Dineo
sold-out run at the Artscape Opera House, Cape
Seshee Bopape and Benjamin Jephta join a
Town in 2015, is coming to the Joburg Theatre,
pantheon of South Africa’s creative luminaries.
contents Johannesburg in January 2017.
arts and culture 30
THE ART OF DIRECTING MUSICALS
Creative Feel speaks to Matthew Wild, the director of West Side Story, which will be showing at the Joburg Theatre from January to March 2017.
32 THE HILLS ARE ALIVE! This festive season, The Playhouse Company is staging
52 SOUTH AFRICA: THE ART OF A NATION The British Museum is currently hosting the first major UK exhibition on South African art that explores a 100 000-year history through archaeological, historic and contemporary artworks, which look at the long and rich artistic
a fresh, new production of The Sound of Music from 26
heritage of the country. South Africa: the art of
November to 30 December.
a nation uses art to tell the story of the region’s deep history, the colonial period, apartheid, the birth of the ‘rainbow nation’ and South Africa today. Objects from the British Museum’s own South African collections are displayed alongside contemporary acquisitions.
6 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
lifestyle and entertainment 14 56 63
GIFT GUIDE CINEMA NOUVEAU CD REVIEWS
contents contributors 58 AND WHERE WERE YOU?
20
Talking to Marianne Thamm about her latest
Artlooks & Artlines is a monthly column
book Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me: A memoir
by Ismail Mahomed, CEO of the Market
of sorts turned out to be a very frank and open
Theatre Foundation.
interview with Lore Watterson for Creative Feel
60
ARTLOOKS & ARTLINES
– after an initial clash on what it means to be
22
LITERARY LANDSCAPES
German from two different view points.
Literary Landscapes is a monthly column written
by Indra Wussow, a writer, translator and director of
the Sylt Foundation.
THE YOGA KITCHEN
The Yoga Kitchen: 100 Easy Superfood Recipes by Marlien Wright is an appealing cookbook that delivers on its promise of delicious, simple, satisfying and nutritious meals.
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 7
Annus horribilis
E
ven if I am not commenting – as is Creative Feel’s policy – on the political landscape, be it our local turmoil or international news like Brexit, populism in the US or terror attacks around the world, 2016 truly was an annus horribilis – not a good year at all.
Derived from the Latin phrase annus mirabilis – year of wonders (or miracles) – it really
describes 2016. In fact, so much so that social media users are jokingly asking if 2016 was directed by Quentin Tarantino. Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the UN, was recorded as one of the first to use the phrase in a speech on 21 December 2004: ‘There’s no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult year, and I am relieved that this annus horribilis is coming to an end.’
Leonard Cohen
But it was Queen Elizabeth II who brought the phrase into popular use after she used it to describe 1992, the year that the marriages of her two sons, Charles and Andrew, broke
Mduduzi ‘Mandoza’ Tshabalala
down and Windsor Castle caught fire. For the world of the arts it has not been any better. As I was writing this editor’s note, my own annus horribilis had just gotten worse with the news of the passing of Leonard Cohen. The Canadian-born poet, songwriter and singer’s intensely personal lyrics exploring themes of love, faith, death and philosophical longing made him the ultimate cult artist. Cohen’s David Bowie
enigmatic song ‘Hallelujah’ became a celebratory anthem recorded by hundreds of artists. Through my Canadian friends, I had been a fan long before he became so fashionable. It seems like forever that I have been listening to songs like: ‘I’m Your Man’, ‘Anthem’, ‘Tower of Song’, ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’, ‘So Long, Marianne’, ‘Bird on a Wire’, ‘Everybody Knows’, ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’, ‘Suzanne’ and his greatest hit ‘Hallelujah’. This news came at the end (hopefully) of a long string of bad news for the arts community during 2016, which started off in January with the passing of singer David Bowie, ‘pop music’s ambassador to the realms of science fiction and fantasy’, and Alan Rickman, the actor who portrayed memorable villains in films like the Harry Potter series,
Prince
Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, followed by author Harper Lee in February. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee used the memorable characters of Scout Finch, the novel’s narrator, and her father Atticus Finch, an attorney, to explore civil rights and racism in the segregated southern United States of the 1930s. The year just followed this pattern with superstar singer Prince, actor Gene Wilder and some great South African stars all passing. International stars like Reuben Malusi Khemese who, alongside his brothers Sandile and Thami, was a founding member of the Soweto String Quartet; the great South African opera singer Johan Botha; the legendary musician Papa Wemba; and of course kwaito legend Mduduzi ‘Mandoza’ Tshabalala. I agree with Kofi Annan. ‘There’s no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult year, and I am relieved that this annus horribilis is coming to an end.’ Here’s to annus mirabilis 2017!
ERIC ABRAHAM PRESENTS A FUGARD THEATRE PRODUCTION THE BROADWAY SMASH HIT MUSICAL
««««
“SPECTACULAR ... A SA SUCCESS STORY” THE CAPE ARGUS
ROBBINS, LAURENTS, BERNSTEIN & SONDHEIM’S
DIRECTED BY MATTHEW WILD
24 JANUARY – 5 MARCH 2017 BOOK NOW AT COMPUTICKET.COM
T
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PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lore Watterson; lore@desklink.co.za
We loved this!
COPUBLISHER & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Chris Watterson; chris@desklink.co.za DEPUTY EDITOR Tamaryn Greer; tammy@desklink.co.za DIGITAL CONTENT CURATOR Abigail Phiri; abigail@desklink.co.za ADDITIONAL EDITORIAL CONTENT: Ismail Mahomed Indra Wussow SALES & MARKETING sales@desklink.co.za sales@creativefeel.co.za SALES & MARKETING COORDINATOR Oupa Sibeko; oupa@desklink.co.za DESIGN Leigh Forrest; leigh@desklink.co.za DISPATCH Khumbulani Dube SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION subs@creativefeel.co.za Published by DeskLink™ Media PO Box 3670, Randburg, 2125 Tel: 011 787 0252 Fax: 011 787 8204 www.creativefeel.co.za www.desklink.co.za PRINTING ColorPress (Pty) Ltd © Copyright DeskLink™ Media The opinions expressed in this publication do not
The Market Theatre Foundation, in partnership with
Creative Feel and DeskLink Media, launched the Market Theatre Forty Years of Storytelling coffee table book in mid-November to much excitement. It was a night of remembering the wonderful past of the Market Theatre, while looking forward to the future. The first page of the book summarises the intention and content of the book perfectly: ‘This book is dedicated to all the people who felt as passionate about the Market Theatre during the past 40 years as Barney Simon and Mannie Manim did when they started it.’ Market Theatre Forty Years of Storytelling is available for purchase from the Market Theatre for R200.
10 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
necessarily represent the views of the publisher.
While every last effort has been made to check that the information in this magazine is correct at the time of going to press, the publisher and their agents will not be held liable for any damages incurred through any inaccuracies.
Dance Forum Presents
Feb 23 2017 - Mar 05 2017 Johannesburg Photograph by John Hogg
VUYANI SIGNS OFF 2016 IN
WITH SIGNATURES
S
ignatures, the theme for this year’s Vuyani Week programme, will showcase the artistic signatures of seasoned dancers and their outreach protégés. Vuyani Dance Theatre’s annual showcase of
professional, emerging and youthful talent – to be staged
dancers under Vuyani’s in-house training programme. Page
at the John Kani Theatre at Johannesburg’s Market Theatre
27, which premiered at the Market Theatre last year and
over the weekend of 2 to 4 December 2016 – will be bigger
has also been performed at the Afrovibes and SANAA arts
and bolder than before, thanks to a grant from the National
festivals, interrogates social issues such as gender inequality.
Lotteries Commission. Vuyani Executive Creative Director, Gregory Maqoma explains: ‘Vuyani Week forms the heart of VDT’s outreach culture. This annual production gives our dancers a platform
The programme also includes Julia Burnham’s new work, Something Black and Yellow, a duet performed by two of Vuyani’s female dancers: Lulu Mlangeni and Sinazo Bokolo. Says Burnham: ‘I was inspired to do this work from
to showcase what they have spent the year teaching to
personal past experiences, which raised questions about why
young kids in schools. Vuyani Week is a way of introducing
I had to go through things in my relationships and how that
theatrical culture to younger generations who would usually
has personally influenced my character to what it is now. This
not have this opportunity.’
includes my work, family, friendship and love relationships.’
This year’s jam-packed Signatures season brings together
Nyanga’s work Beyond will be performed by four
dance trainees, the company’s dancers and the learners
male Vuyani dancers: Xolisile Bongwana, Kwazi Madlala,
they mentor at various local schools. Artists with distinct
Otto Nhlapo and Phumlani Mndebele. This work is about
personal and creative signatures will reimagine historical
understanding a relationship that is beyond our physical
works to be performed by a new generation of dancers at
comprehension but has a huge influence on our daily lives.
these family-friendly performances. The programme features Rhythm Colour, one of Maqoma’s ‘signature’ works from 2002, themed around the 1976 Soweto student uprisings. This evocative piece was
The final day of the programme, on Sunday 4 December 2016, will feature performances by Vuyani’s outreach protégés, mentored by the company’s gifted dancer-choreogreographers. Adds Maqoma: ‘Vuyani Dance Theatre is grateful for the
re-mounted earlier this year at the Soweto Theatre to mark
National Lotteries Commission’s support in recognising the
40 years since the landmark protests, with a new generation
need to develop new emerging choreographic voices, as well
of Vuyani dancers taking the baton, and will be performed
as the need to provide a professional setting for emerging
during Vuyani Week by outreach protégés.
dancers through our training and outreach programmes.
Another highlight is Vincent Mantsoe’s iconic ‘pigeon’
‘Vuyani Week is a family-oriented event that is also
work Gula, which will be interpreted by sensational young
about discovering talent. More importantly, it gives young
Vuyani dancer and choreographer Phumlani Nyanga. He
dancers an opportunity to perform on world-acclaimed
will be presenting Gula fresh from performing the work at a
stages like the John Kani at the Market Theatre.’ CF
festival in Burkina Faso at the end of November. In keeping with the Signatures theme, Lulu Mlangeni’s Page 27 will be performed by the trainees, a new cluster of
12 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Tickets for each performance cost R120 and are available through Webtickets or at the door.
BREATHTAKING ACROBATICS AT
Cirque Éloize iD
C
irque Éloize iD made its Cape Town debut at Artscape on 16 November 2016 and after just 15 performances, this highenergy production that blends breathtaking acrobatics and street dance, moved to Montecasino’s Teatro for a limited
season from 30 November until 24 December. Directed by Jeannot Painchaud and brought to South Africa
by leading local promoter, Showtime Management, Cirque Éloize’s iD has been enjoyed over the past seven years by more than one million spectators in over 1 000 performances in almost 100 cities across the globe. Positioned at the heart of the renewal of circus arts, this Montreal-based company has been creating moving performances filled with magic for more than 23 years. Cirque Éloize’s iD is a blend of circus arts and urban dance: b-boying/b-girling, breakdance, hip-hop and more, expressed to a stimulating soundtrack created by composers Jean-Phi Goncalves (Beast) and Alex McMahon. The company is integrating multimedia for the first time in its ninth original creation, giving this show a unique feel. Fifteen performers from 14 disciplines help create iD’s entertaining and resolutely urban universe. CVO_CreativeFeel_Advert_Rev5.pdf
1
2016/11/04
1:43 PM
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T
he above statement is straight from one of our guests. Guests who stay at Casta Diva Boutique Hotel, nestled on the northern side of the Magaliesberg mountain, are hardly ever disappointed.
A look at their TripAdvisor.com profile exposes the
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Diva – The place to… simply be.
The second Unisa National Voice Competition The long-awaited Second Unisa National Voice Competition will take place from 8 to 15 July next year. As with the recent national piano competition, this competition will consist of two categories: Jazz and Classical. South African vocalists are invited to enter for the competition no later than 24 February 2017. Candidates must submit a DVD for the Qualifying Round and approximately 20 candidates will be invited to attend the live competition in Pretoria in July next year. Classical vocalists must include an aria from the 17th
Eric aE lo
the Z K Matthews Great Hall in
lburg sie Ah Sus t i ed Cr ff
or 18th centuries, two art songs, one of which must be in German, and an opera or concert aria on their DVD recording. Jazz vocalists must include a jazz standard (medium or up-tempo swing) that includes a minimum of two choruses of improvisation, a Latin American or South African jazz standard that includes a minimum of two choruses of improvisation, and a jazz ballad that includes one chorus of improvisation. The main prize in each category is R70 000 with the runner-up in each category winning R40 000. Special prizes will also be awarded. ‘South Africa is blessed with a huge number of talented vocalists. We hope to provide these promising young musicians with a platform to improve and hone their skills as performers. The prize money will also enable the winners to further their studies,’ says Prof. Karendra Devroop, Artistic Director of the Unisa National and International Music Competitions. The previous Unisa National Voice Competition was presented in 2005 and Erica Eloff was the winner. She currently enjoys a prestigious international vocal career. The competition is made possible by a grant from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) and additional support from Unisa. The age limit is 30 years. Further rules, regulations and entry form are available from the Unisa Music Foundation. Contact Alet Venter (joubeae@unisa.ac.za or 012 429 3336) for more information.
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 15
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WHAT’S ON THE MARKET THEATRE Signatures 2 to 4 December Butterflies 7 to 7 December When Swallows Cry 13 January to 5 February 2017 www.markettheatre.co.za | 011 832 1641/2/3
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Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 17
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18 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
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Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 19
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Artlooks & Artlines is a monthly column written by Ismail Mahomed, CEO of the Market Theatre Foundation.
The following is an extract from Ismail Mahomed’s address to audience members at the launch of The Market Theatre: Forty Years of Storytelling coffee table book. The evening included a panel discussion with some of those who have been involved with the theatre over the last 40 years, including Mannie Manim, John Kani and Malcolm Purkey.
T
he publication The Market Theatre: Forty Years of
Theatre Foundation and present council members. Most
Storytelling is a celebratory partnership between
importantly, this publication is testimony to the visionaries
the Market Theatre Foundation and Creative Feel
who founded the Market Theatre Foundation and those who
Magazine and DeskLink Publishers.
continue to trail-blaze new pathways through which we can
For four decades the Market Theatre has been the
architecture of our social consciousness. Since its founding it has never lost sight of being at the centre of telling stories
continue to endow generations of South Africans with a rich cultural legacy. Nationally and internationally celebrated for its bravery
that can transform us into a society that is more humane
by staging theatrical works that spoke against social
and compassionate.
injustice, the Market Theatre spearheaded a movement
I am honoured to be the CEO of the Market Theatre
of artists that dared to voice their opinions and to create
Foundation at a time when through this publication we can
a brand of South African theatre that continues to be
honour the artists, audiences, sponsors and the past and
celebrated for its authenticity, passion and excellence.
present staff – from the humble cleaner to the executive members of office – the past board members of the Market
22 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
During the international cultural boycott against South Africa, theatre makers drew on their own resources, and the
artists at the Market Theatre did so with huge creativity and singular success. The Market Theatre was and it continues to be a curator and a defender of artistic and creative freedoms! During this anniversary year, the Market Theatre has curated its programme around the theme of ‘40 Years of Storytelling’, to celebrate the iconic legacy of this historic institution and to re-envision its role in a new and constantly changing South Africa. This publication offers inspiration about the power of theatre as a change agent and a nation-builder. We are grateful to Creative Feel and DeskLink Publishers, and in particular to its Editor-in-Chief, Lore Watterson, for an invested passion in bringing this publication into existence. The Market Theatre, founded by visionaries and anchored by champions over the past four decades, continues to trail-blaze with a management team that is bold in its courage, adventurous in its spirit and accountable to both the arts sector and our funders. CF
“Nationally and internationally celebrated for its bravery by staging theatrical works that spoke against social injustice, the Market Theatre spearheaded a movement of artists that dared to voice their opinions and to create a brand of South African theatre that continues to be celebrated for its authenticity, passion and excellence”
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 23
Literary Landscapes is a monthly column by Indra Wussow, a writer, translator and director of the Sylt Foundation.
P
eru is a country of extreme contrasts. Seventy-
other indigenous languages. The Commission also made
seven per cent of its population live in its bigger
recommendations calling for reparations for victims, the
cities; a quarter of Peru’s population of 30 million
strengthening of the rule of law, and for foundations to be
live in Lima alone. In this capital city, the contrasts
put in place for true reconciliation based on justice.
are most obvious. Affluent neighbourhoods with fancy shops
In the broader field of transitional justice, Peru’s TRC
and restaurants and a rather European lifestyle define the
is recognised for its successful execution of a daunting
lives of the rich and the upper middle class. The majority
and complex mandate: to analyse 20 years of violence and
of Peruvians cannot afford such a life and its poor people
authoritarianism.
live in the outskirts of the city in pueblos. The inhabitants
The experience of a long period of terror and
of the pueblos have not profited from modernism, globalism
displacement of its communities, of its subsequent silence
and economic development. Over the last few decades,
and the revisitation of past traumas in the TRC form
these quarters have become bigger as many people from
important topics for writers, poets and artists of Peru to
the countryside have flocked to the city of Lima in the hope
negotiate the social situation through their works. These
of a better future and to escape the terror of the Sendero
important voices attempt to recollect collective memories
Luminoso, the ‘Shining Path’, that held the country in its
and show how the individual pain is still a sad reality in
grip for decades. The consequences of this civil war, which
a country whose way into a civil society has been long
took place from 1980 until the 2000s, are still haunting
and winding. Their works also join the ongoing debates
Peruvian society today. The traumatised new citizens in their
in Latin America about identity recognition in the face of
makeshift pueblo homes still live without electricity and
globalisation, neoliberalism and post-modernity.
water, and have for almost 20 years. Peru’s conflict began in the 1980s with violent
Among the most important books is definitely Mario Vargas Llosa’s novel Death in the Andes. It is a harsh and instructive
insurgencies led by the Maoist rebel group, Sendero Luminoso.
book and its writer’s way of storytelling is as direct, rigid and
The Peruvian state also unleashed systematic abuses during
enigmatic as the Andean landscape in which its story is set.
this armed conflict. Small, rural communities and native
In the isolated community of Naccos in the Peruvian
peoples of the Andes and Amazon bore the brunt of the
Andes, a series of mysterious disappearances has occurred.
violence and lived under a reign of terror and torture. In the
Army corporal Lituma and his deputy Tomás believe the
1990s, President Alberto Fujimori’s repressive rule further
Sendero Luminoso guerrillas are responsible, but the town’s
eroded the rule of law, enacting amnesty laws and granting
people have their own ideas about the forces that claimed
impunity for the members of government death squads.
the bodies of the missing men. This riveting novel is filled
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the TRC, set
with unforgettable characters, among them disenfranchised
up in 2001, provided the Peruvian judiciary with a wealth of
indians, eccentric local folk, and a couple performing strange
information, much of which would prove essential for the
cannibalistic sacrifices. As the investigation progresses,
prosecution and ultimate convictions of Fujimori and the
Tomás entertains Lituma with the surreal tale of a precarious
leader of Sendero Luminoso, Abimael Guzmán.
love affair. Death in the Andes is both a fascinating detective
The findings of the TRC also demonstrated how
novel and an insightful political allegory. Mario Vargas Llosa
racial and cultural discrimination of Andean and native
offers a panoramic view of Peruvian society, from the recent
populations played a fundamental role in the conflict:
social upheaval to the cultural influences in its past.
according to its estimates, of the more than 69 000 dead and disappeared, 75% were native Quechua speakers or
24 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010 and is Peru’s best known novelist. In the 1980s, the writer
Images of Peru courtesy of Indra Wussow was a presidential candidate and lost in 1990 to Alberto Fujimori. Vargas Llosa became a fierce defender of the TRC, in opposition to many of his colleagues who regarded him as politically suspect. Because his novel was published shortly after his failed presidential campaign, many of his critics felt that his book was too one-sided and drew too dark a picture of the Peruvian reality. Many consider him conservative, but maybe he is just a realist who understood that a revolutionary utopia will not lead Latin America into paradise but into devastation. The troubled land has staggered from bad to worse, from one dictatorship to the next, and is still recovering from its wounds today. Death in the Andes is not a realistic account of events, brought by a colporleur from the Peruvian highlands – Vargas Llosa masterly combines magic realism and postmodern ideas to link the power of the Sendero Luminoso’s terror of virtues with its appropriation of the ancient indian myths and rites to something universal. Something universal that does not only belong to the history of Peru but to the history of mankind: the belief in the necessity of the human sacrifice. This intense story of disappearance and death, the wall of silence that surrounds the investigation, the juxtaposition of the violence of the Sendero with that of the state and the apathy of the defenseless victims, introduces us profoundly into death’s melody and uncovers the streams of blood that seeped into the Peruvian soil. The happy ending to this book’s love story is thwarted by the ancient ecstasy of dissolving boundaries. Guilt and redemption are forced on everyone. Seduction and power take possession. Something has happened that cannot be compensated anymore: the destruction of souls through guilt and the utmost breech of taboo. It helps us see that deeper truth that is often subscribed to literature. Two other important novels from Peruvian writers are Alonso Cueto’s The Blue Hour (2007) and Red April (2008) by Santiago Roncagliolo. CF
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 25
26 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Love, tragedy, racism, immigration and gang rivalry The Fugard Theatre production of West Side Story, which enjoyed a staggeringly successful, sold-out run at the Artscape Opera House, Cape Town in 2015, is coming to the Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg in January 2017.
W
ith this production of West Side Story, Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre, have created a phenomenal 100% South African production on an unprecedented grand-
scale that has left audiences mesmerised night after night during the debut run. Abraham and the Fugard Theatre have become renowned as the creators and producers of other outstanding runaway hits like The Rocky Horror Show, Kat & the Kings, Orpheus in Africa and Cabaret. West Side Story is the
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 27
Fugard Theatre’s first out of house production, five years on
songs ‘Something’s Coming’, ‘Maria’, ‘I Feel Pretty
from the iconic theatre’s official opening in 2010.
and ‘Tonight’.
This grand-scale, multimillion-rand production
Inspired by the timeless story of Romeo and Juliet, West
showcases extraordinary South African talent from set,
Side Story takes Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, and places
lighting, sound and costume design to choreography and
them in the vibrant battleground of New York City’s West
musical and stage performance. Everything about this
Side in the 1950s, an ethnic, blue-collar neighborhood. In the
show has been done locally and took two years to plan.
early 1960s, much of the neighborhood would be cleared in
The Artscape programme notes explain that creating the
an urban renewal project for the Lincoln Center, changing the
stage for this production, which was done partly by the
neighborhood’s character. The musical explores the rivalry
internationally lauded designer Johan Engels, who died in
between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of
November 2014 before being able to complete his vision,
different ethnic backgrounds. The members of the Sharks, from
required 10 784 kilograms of steel, 4 500 bolts, 5 800
Puerto Rico, are taunted by the Jets, a white gang.
kilograms of aluminium and 4 900 ‘man hours’. West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents
In the midst of this deep-seated rivalry, Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, and Tony, a former
and Stephen Sondheim’s musical theatre masterpiece,
member of the Jets and best friend of the gang leader Riff,
premiered on Broadway in New York in 1957 and is based
discover that ancient grudges are no match for true love.
on Jerome Robbins’ original conception. It is arguably
Their warring factions, however, refuse to back down, and
one of the world’s greatest musicals with Bernstein’s
the ‘rumbles’, romance, and resentment lead the bloody path
magnificent score which includes the world famous
to the lovers’ ultimate, tragic conclusion. The dark theme,
28 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
“West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim’s musical theatre masterpiece, premiered on Broadway in New York in 1957”
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 29
“Inspired by the timeless story of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story takes Shakespeare’s starcrossed lovers and places them in the vibrant battleground of New York City’s West Side in the 1950s”
30 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
sophisticated music, extended dance scenes and focus on social problems marked a turning point in American musical theatre and remains one of American musical theatre’s most revolutionary and much loved treasures. West Side Story, with its remarkably salient social message seems to be so very relevant to the present problems of South Africa: racism, immigration, gang rivalry and clashes of different ethnic backgrounds. While still set in the 1950s in New York, Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre have created a phenomenal, 100% South African production with the stellar creative team of Matthew Wild as director, CharlJohan Lingenfelder as musical director and conductor, and choreographer Louisa Talbot. Reprising their roles as Tony, Maria and Bernardo respectively, will be Fleur du Cap Theatre Award winners Jonathan Roxmouth, Lynelle Kenned and Christopher Jaftha. Sharing the title role once more with Lynelle Kenned will be the London-based actress and opera singer, Filipa van Eck, who will perform the role of Maria once a week. Bianca le Grange returns to reprise her role of Anita. The Jets gang is led once again by Stephen Jubber as Riff, backed by a superb cast that includes Daniel Buys (24 January to 18 February 2017) and Grant Almirall (19 February to 5 March 2017) as Action. Reviews of the 2015 Cape Town production stated that ‘the musical is buoyed by a youthful energy with its simmering underlying tensions and hostilities and the superb all-round ensemble cast bring it magically to life. There is not a wasted moment on the stage, not a single superfluous action, motion, lighting or scene change as each flows magically and seamlessly into the next.’ ‘University of Cape Town Opera School graduate Lynelle Kenned is superb as Maria, who Tony spots at a local dance. The two instantly fall in love but it is a youthful passion that we know is doomed. Roxmouth and Kenned capture the vulnerability of these two young people caught up in currents beyond their control. Roxmouth makes for an angelic, clean-cut Tony, unlike the rest of the tattooed, rough Jets, while Kenned beautifully captures Maria’s subtle determination to follow her heart.’ ‘…This is clearly a creative team effort. Some musicals you go and see for the music. Others, you see for its clever lines. While with some, you go and see for the one or two songs or characters that typify the musical or perhaps for the costumes and set design. This production has it all.’ ‘…Do yourself a favour and go and see this showcase of local talent at its best. It’s cheaper than buying a ticket to see it on Broadway or in the West End and it is every bit as brilliant as any international production, if not better.’ The season will run from 24 January to 5 March 2017 and tickets are now on sale through 021 461 4554, Computicket, 0861 915 8000 or from the Joburg Theatre directly. CF
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 31
The art of directing musicals Matthew Wild is one of the most versatile
Creative Feel: You have been very successful with your recent
and prolific South African theatre directors
productions of musicals for the Fugard Theatre. What attracts
of his generation, equally at home staging operas, musicals, new plays and classic
you to directing musicals? Matthew Wild: Most of my time is spent working on opera, which will always be my first love, but directing musicals
texts. His productions have been seen on
provides a change of pace and focus that I really enjoy.
stages throughout South Africa, as well as
performers, who can merrily surmount any acting, singing
I love working with brilliant triple-threat musical theatre
in Germany, Sweden, Ireland and Australia.
and dancing challenges I throw at them – simultaneously!
In early 2015, he was appointed as the
labour-intensive to stage , with location and costume
Artistic Director of Cape Town Opera. Most recently, he has won widespread acclaim for a series of musicals for the Fugard Theatre. His multi-award winning production of The Rocky Horror Show opened in 2013, and closed 19 months later after 444 performances. His staging of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret opened at the same theatre in early 2015, followed by a major new revival of West Side Story
This is more difficult in opera. Musicals are typically very changes, lots of choreography (which takes a while to create), lots of technical hurdles to solve – so you have to do lots of planning and spreadsheets and careful scheduling, which I enjoy. It’s also good fun to let your hair down in a piece which will have wide audience appeal (such as The Rocky Horror Show), when you’re used to short opera runs and a slightly more staid audience. CF: Do you find that you have a very different approach when directing musicals as opposed to directing opera or classical theatre? MW: Contemporary opera direction has developed because a handful of established works are repeated frequently around the globe – directors are continually looking for novel ways
at the Artscape Opera House, which now
to present classics like La Bohème, La traviata and The Ring.
transfers to Johannesburg in January 2017.
the work or provoke the audience; less extreme ones like me
32 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Some directors are very brazen in their efforts to deconstruct
seek out a new conceptual or narrative focus to illuminate
constructed pieces are also very high and very heavy. Johan’s
a certain aspect of the piece. It’s much the same with
untimely death left his concept drawings to be realised into
productions of frequently produced classic plays, for instance
finished designs by Conor Murphy, and it was a great honour
those of Shakespeare or Chekhov. I’ve made a habit of picking
to give life and movement to the concepts of this great South
concepts for operas and plays which sound unlikely – Rossini
African designer.
set in an airport, or Shakespeare staged as a kung fu movie – but which (I hope) illuminated the texts in a surprising and
CF: How did you manage to create a phenomenal 100%
intelligent way.
South African production of West Side Story and still keep the
It’s a bit different with big musicals – by their very nature,
‘American’ vibe of this classic musical?
they are commercial products which need to attract a wide
MW: When I got the gig, people asked me if I would set the
audience, who often arrive with quite set expectations.
production locally – in the Cape Flats or a gang-ridden
Something like Rocky Horror doesn’t need a heavily
township. It’s hard to imagine a literal location shift for
conceptual staging; for a work like that, I try to find a fresh
West Side without rewriting the book and lyrics – it’s
focus in subtler ways, playing with audience expectations
all written in dialect, and every second page references
along the way.
America and Puerto Rico – but I wanted to put New York in the background and bring out the universal aspects of the
CF: West Side Story in Cape Town earned you rave
story. So we eliminated all local colour from the settings,
reviews and it is eagerly awaited in Joburg. It was on an
creating an abstract concrete jungle in an indeterminate
unprecedented grand scale? Is this the first time you directed
late 20th century time period. Birrie le Roux looked at gang
on this scale?
outfits from different countries and eras to create tough
MW: West Side Story was the first production I created for
but timeless uniforms for the Jets and Sharks, which made
an opera house stage – and I was stunned and slightly
a clear but unobtrusive visual links with gang warfare
overwhelmed by the proscenium-filling design concept which
closer to home.
Johan Engels first presented to me. Johan loved working on an epic scale, and was determined to make a towering
CF: After directing West Side Story in Joburg, what are your
concrete box to symbolise the tough streets of New York,
plans for 2017?
using every possible inch of on – and off – stage space
MW: I will direct Funny Girl for the Fugard, followed by new
and every piece of available stage machinery to produce
productions of Der fliegende Holländer and The Magic Flute
spectacular effects .There is a lot of empty space in the
for Cape Town Opera, and make my debut in Switzerland in
design concept (great for the high energy dancing), but the
the spring with a new production of Don Giovanni.
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 33
Lynelle Kenned who plays Maria and Craig Urbani who plays Captain Von Trapp with the cast of the Von Trapp children
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE! This festive season, The Playhouse Company is staging a fresh, new production of The Sound of Music from 26 November to 30 December. 34 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
The Sound of Music Creative Team: Ralph Lawson, Mark Malherbe, Sean Bovim, Linda Bukhosini, Denis Hutchinson
D
irected by award-winning director and actor,
Von Trapp. When Von Trapp, who is strongly opposed to
Ralph Lawson, with a leading creative team
the ruling Nazis, is ordered to accept a commission in the
of Sarah Roberts (costume designer), Denis
German navy, he and Maria hatch a plan to flee the country
Hutchinson (set and lighting designer), Sean
with the children.
Bovim (choreographer), Mark Malherbe (sound designer),
Many of the songs from the musical have become family
and featuring a star-studded cast and the always excellent
favourites, such as ‘Eidelweiss’, ‘My Favourite Things’, ‘Climb
KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, The Sound of Music promises
Ev’ry Mountain’, ‘Do-Re-Me’, and the title song, ‘The Sound
to delight the whole family, from 4 to 104!
of Music’.
Being staged in Playhouse’s magnificent Opera
Popular stage and TV actor Craig Urbani, who is
Theatre from 26 November to 30 December, this heart-
well known for his roles in the TV programmes Isidingo
warming story of Maria and the Von Trapp family
and Ashes to Ashes, plays Captain Von Trapp. He is
features the original music and lyrics of the legendary
joined on stage by multi-talented entertainer, Lynelle
musical theatre writing team, Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Kenned as Maria. Currently the presenter of the TV
Hammerstein II, with the book written by Howard Lindsay
show Pasella, Kenned is also a member of The South
and Russel Crouse.
African Sopranos.
The production saw its debut on Broadway in 1959,
The kindly Mother Abbess is played by opera-trained
when it won five Tony Awards, but remains just as fresh,
singer, Arline Jaftha, who has performed for Her Majesty
fun and relevant for today’s audiences as it was all that
Queen Elizabeth II, while Sister Margaretta is played by
time ago.
soprano Thandulwazi Ncube, who has featured in many
Set in Austria on the eve of World War II, the musical tells the story of Maria Rainer, who takes a job as governess
productions both locally and abroad. KZN favourites Liesl Coppin, Frank Graham, Shelley
to the large Von Trapp family while she decides whether
McLean, Erin Fourie, Alison Cassels and Adam Doré also
or not to become a nun. She falls in love with the seven
feature in this production, which promises to enchant
children, and eventually with their widowed father, Captain
families of all ages.
The Sound of Music rehearsal: Frank Graham who plays Max Detweiler, Liesl Coppin who plays Elsa Schreider and Craig Urbani who plays Captain Von Trapp
Tickets: R150, R180, R200 and R225 if pre-booked, and
themselves who is to be released. This sets the cat among
R170, R200, R220 and R245 at the door one hour before the
the pigeons and what follows is a gritty telling of each
show, space permitting. Substantial block booking discounts
prisoner’s fascinating personal story. Tickets are R80 for the
are available on ten or more tickets by calling Dawn on
preview on 15 December, and R100 throughout thereafter.
(031) 369 9407.
Please note that no under 16s are allowed.
The Durban Hilton Hotel is offering all ticket-holders a
Also showing this December at The Playhouse is Glued, a
special rate on dinner, bed and breakfast, as well as transport
hilariously irreverent comedy starring three of South Africa’s
to and from the Playhouse. For further information, please
best comedy talents: Krijay Govender, Leeanda Reddy and
call (031) 369 9596/9540.
Kasaren Pillay.
It does not only end with The Sound of Music at The
With just two performances only (22 & 23 December),
Playhouse this festive season. The Playhouse also brings you
Glued is sure to keep audiences glued to every word these
the celebrated play, The Game, by highly-acclaimed director
mirthful performers utter, and have you rolling in the aisles.
and playwright, Duma Ndlovu. It runs in The Playhouse
Sending up the screen-addicted generation with the team’s
Loft theatre from 15 to 24 December. Some of South
own style of skit comedy, Glued covers everything from
Africa’s top names in the entertainment world will star in
soapies to news to reality shows, and even wildlife TV! With
the production: Sindi Dlathu; Dawn King; Nqobile Ndlovu;
previous hits like Buckled and Queens of Comedy, it is clear
Nomasonto Dlamini; Sheila Khumalo; Buhle Samuels;
that this team with their new production Glued will provide
Lungile Mkhize; and Vuyiseka Cawe. The Game is set in a
audiences with the perfect comedy treat for the festive season.
fictitious women’s prison in Middelburg just a few months
Tickets for this limited season are selling at R150. CF
before South Africa’s first democratic elections, and amid the crumbling embers of the apartheid state. The prisoners
Tickets for all three productions are available for purchase
are told that one of them will be released to mark the
at Computicket nationwide, or by dialing The Playhouse box
occasion. The catch is that the prisoners must decide among
office on 031 369 9540/9596.
36 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Lynelle Kenned who plays Maria with the cast of the Von Trapp children Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 37
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
Abel Selaocoe, Thandazile Radebe, Beth Diane Armstrong, Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi, Dineo Seshee Bopape and Benjamin Jephta join a pantheon of South Africa’s creative luminaries. 38 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
O
ver a period of 36 years, 150 exceptionally
works for the Main Programme at the National Arts Festival
talented, young South Africans have received
in Grahamstown in 2017.
Young Artist Awards, one of the country’s leading arts awards. The list of past recipients includes
‘Over the years, the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards have grown in stature,’ says Hazel Chimhandamba, Head
some of the country’s most accomplished art luminaries,
of Group Sponsorships at Standard Bank. ‘The Awards
including Sibongile Khumalo, William Kentridge, Pieter-
continue to provide a wonderful platform and opportunity
Dirk Uys, Gregory Maqoma, Janice Honeyman, Mbongeni
for the winning artists to bring their work to a national and
Ngema, Helen Sibidi, Robyn Orlin, Andrew Buckland, Concord
international arena. It has created a rich legacy, providing
Nkabinde and Johnny Clegg.
role models for future generations to value, respect and
Abel Selaocoe (music), Benjamin Jephta (jazz), Beth Diane Armstrong (visual art), Dineo Seshee Bopape (performance art), Mongane ‘Vice’ Motshabi (theatre) and
aspire to whilst enriching and expanding the country’s cultural landscape.’ ‘These awards are more than just an annual platform
Thandazile Radebe (dance) all now stand as examples of the
which culminates in the presentation of new work,’
current strength of the South African creative sector and its
says National Arts Festival Executive Producer, Ashraf
enormous future potential for greatness.
Johaardien. ‘It is a yearlong process during which key
The awards are a partnership between the National Arts
industry players come together specifically to identify and
Festival and Standard Bank, which has sponsored the award
assess the creative output of emerging artists who show
since 1984. Together, they have created a reference of South
potential to make a meaningful contribution to arts and
Africa’s artistic talent, and have set a benchmark for future
culture throughout their careers. The awards programme
young artists, performers and musicians to strive to surpass.
then significantly enhances their professional development
Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners are selected
by providing the necessary resources and space for them
from a variety of categories by the National Arts Festival
to showcase themselves and their work at South Africa’s
Committee, chaired by Brett Bailey. The award includes a
foremost arts festival. For me, it’s really about the important
cash prize, as well as support to develop and premiere new
work of identifying and cultivating exceptional talent.’
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
Beth Diane Armstrong, the 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art is regarded as one of the leading sculptors of her generation.
Beth Diane Armstrong
BETH DIANE ARMSTRONG
S
ince completing her Master of Fine Art with
globally acknowledged platform. Now with this award and
distinction at Rhodes University in 2010, Beth Diane
its reach, I can do this.’
Armstrong has consistently created ambitious and fascinating structures out of mild and stainless steel.
Armstrong’s works appear in a variety of corporate, public and private spaces, including the new Standard Bank building
Her works display skill, craftsmanship and an expression
in Rosebank, Rhodes University’s permanent collection,
of her fascination with structure: organic, architectural,
Grahamstown’s NELM (National English Literary Museum),
mathematical, psychological and conceptual. Although
and she was commissioned by the Kern Kunst Westvoorne
celebrated for her monumental sculptures, Armstrong
Foundation to create a large permanent public artwork in
works in a variety of media, including printmaking, video,
Oostvoorne in the Netherlands. She has exhibited her work in
photography, drawing and installations.
solo and group shows both locally and abroad, notably at the
‘The Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Visual
Design Miami/Basel design fair in Basel, Switzerland, and at
Art 2017 will have a huge and, I’m sure positive, impact
Design Miami, Florida, and her eagerly anticipated next solo
on my career, obviously,’ says Armstrong. ‘As an arts
exhibition will open at Everard Read in mid-2017.
practitioner, one hopes that our ideas reach as broad an
‘Standard Bank and the National Arts Festival’s desire
audience as possible, and this award affords and allows
to invest and cultivate the arts so readily in South Africa is
me the unlimited and unprecedented chance to do this.
inspiring. Winning this award is a huge and exceptional privilege.
I’d like to remind the rest of the world what we are doing
The fact that I have been chosen for 2017 and thus afforded this
on the African continent – and give my agenda to create
opportunity to showcase my work on such a prestigious and
larger, more challenging and more demanding structures a
challenging platform is humbling and a huge honour.’
40 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 41
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
Multimedia artist Dineo Seshee Bopape has been awarded the 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Performance Art. Her experimental video montages, sound, found objects, photographs and sculptural installations have been shown across the US and Europe.
DINEO SESHEE BOPAPE
T
hrough creating work that engages with powerful
Her work featured at the 12th Biennale de Lyon; this year’s
socio-political notions of memory, notion
Marrakech 6: Not New Now, in Morocco; and the 32nd São
and representation, Dineo Seshee Bopape has
Paulo Art Biennial: Live Uncertainty.
received recognition and awards across the globe,
Her critically acclaimed solo shows have included
including the 2015 SmarArt Award, the 2008 MTN New
the 2015 slow-co-ruption at the Hayward Gallery Project
Contemporaries Award, and the recipient of a 2010 Columbia
space in London, and Untitled [of occult instability]
University Toby Fund Award. She was also a finalist in the
(feelings) at Palais de Tokyo in 2016. ‘What inspires me
prestigious 2014-2015 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts
in my work, is a need to try understand the world, to
Initiative in the Visual Arts category.
try understand myself, to try understand the time that
Bopape was born in Polokwane, Limpopo in 1981 and
we live in,’ she says. ‘Thinking about problems, other
studied painting and sculpture at the Durban Institute of
people’s problems, my own problems, history, memory,
Technology. She then furthered her studies and graduated
almost anything or everything.’
from De Ateliers in Amsterdam in 2007, before completing
And her advice for young artists in South Africa?
her Master’s in Fine Arts at Columbia University in New York
‘Demand an artists’s fee when you’re invited for a show
in 2010.
because that way you keep on surviving. The other
Bopape’s work has been shown at prestigious galleries
advice is to keep playing in one’s work, to learn to
and top art fairs across the globe. These include, the New
listen to your own voice, find a community of artists or
Museum in New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art,
people who share your voice or who can nurture your
Philadelphia; and the Mart House Gallery in Amsterdam.
voice as well.’
42 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
The 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist for Music, Abel Selaocoe, has been recognised for exceptional ability as a cellist. Throughout his young career, Selaocoe has explored the capacity of the cello across a wealth of genres, from giving concerto performances and solo classical recitals to collaborating with beatboxers.
ABEL SELAOCOE
A
t 24, Abel Selaocoe has already amassed an
Selaocoe has received numerous awards and scholarships,
impressive CV that speaks to his talent, passion
all of which have aided in the growth of his career. He was
and determination. As an artist, Selaocoe strives
the recipient of first prize at the Phillip H Moor Competition
to reinvigorate the role of the cello, and regularly
(South Africa), second prize in the Yamaha National
collaborates with jazz and African musicians. As a concert soloist, Selaocoe has worked with many of
Competition (South Africa) and is the winner of the 2012 Sir John Barbirolli (UK) and RNCM Prizes, performing with
South Africa’s top orchestra’s, including the KwaZulu-Natal
the RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music) Symphony
Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic and Johannesburg
Orchestra at Bridgewater Hall. He received scholarships to
Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Gauteng Camerata.
study a First Class Post-Graduate Diploma and a Bachelor of
He has also performed throughout the UK, showcasing
Music, both under renowned cellist Hannah Roberts.
Tim Garland’s Cello and Saxophone Double Concerto at
Of Selaocoe, Roberts says, ‘Abel’s performances are
Bridgewater Hall and playing with the Torre String Quartet
characterized by enormous flair, energy and imagination and
at Wigmore Hall. Selaocoe has also toured with the Zelkova
his love of music and generosity of spirit shine through to
String Quartet and the Quartet of Peace.
his audiences. He is a very natural communicator and brings
His love of world music and improvisation led to his cofounding Project Jam Sandwich (now called Kabantu – ‘about the people’), which is a global folk fusion quintet whose
great personal charm to his interactions with his fellow musicians as well as the listener.’ Earlier in the year, Selaocoe was awarded the third Karl
successes have brought them invitations to perform in festivals
Motesiczky Cello Scholarship, which he is currently using
all over the UK, from the BBC Proms to Ulverston International
to study a two-year Master’s degree at the Royal Northern
Festival, as well as several broadcasts on BBC Radio 3.
College of Music in Manchester.
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
Thandazile Radebe’s ability to perform and choreograph witty, yet emotionally charged dance works dealing with universal socio-economic issues has earned her the 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance.
THANDAZILE RADEBE
T
handazile Sonia Radebe is considered one of the
(2011) and Ngizwise (2014/2015), and her site-specific In &
country’s leading contemporary choreographers
Out installation performances in the streets of Diepsloot in
and dancers and has toured Africa, the UK and
2011 have been lauded by local and international critics.
Europe. Through her exceptional choreography and
Radebe’s acclaimed collaborations with American arts
dancing, Radebe has taken her work to some of South Africa’s
activist Rhodessa Jones and Canadian dance maker Jennifer
top stages and festivals, exploring conventional theatre as
Dallas and her 2010 performance in the corps de ballet in
well as alternative spaces, such as outdoor venues.
Dada Masilo’s neo-African Swan Lake have added to an
Radebe began dancing when she was eight years old in Soweto, joining Griffiths Arco Matlala’s Arco Dance Theatre. With Arco Dance Theatre, ten-year-old Radebe showed
incredible professional persona that seems to strengthen each year. Currently, Radebe serves as managing director of
off her already blossoming potential at Dance Umbrella’s
Song and Dance Works and has amassed a slew of awards,
community dance showcase. Her love of theatre, dance and
including being counted as one of the 200 Young South
audiences led her to Jacob ‘Jackie’ Mbuyiselwa Semela’s
Africans by the Mail & Guardian in 2013; Best Female
children’s classes at the DOCC/YMCA in Orlando, which led
Dancer at Gauteng Dance Manyano in 2011; the Gauteng
her to working with Soweto Dance Theatre and beginning
MEC Award for Best Female Dancer in Contemporary Style in
her professional career in 1997.
2003 and earlier in 2016, was awarded the Market Theatre’s
In 2003, Radebe graduated from Moving into Dance
Sophie Mgcina Emerging Voice Award for Choreography.
Mophatong’s (MIDM) teacher’s training course and stayed
Radebe is passionate about creating positive and visible
with the company as a principal dancer, teacher and
role models for the youth, as well as the development and
choreographer until 2013. Her solo works, such as Inception
empowerment of women and the passing on of oral history.
46 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
Storyteller, writer, director, mentor and educator, Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi has made a decided impact on South African theatre through his unique approach to past, present and future. He is the 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre.
MONAGENG ‘VICE’ MOTSHABI
M
onageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi has directed and
what might have happened if the 1913 Land Act had
written celebrated plays that both confront
been rebelled against. Fittingly, the play was produced
South African history and aim to help
a century after Sol Plaatje’s Native Life in South Africa
audiences reclaim and affirm a sense of self.
was published.
In 2011, Motshabi directed a fresh interpretation of the
As an educator and mentor, Motshabi has had a
iconic play, Sizwe Bansi is Dead. The production, which played at
longstanding relationship with the Market Theatre
PACOFS (Performing Arts Centre of Free State), the Windybrow
Laboratory and served as dramaturge for their Zwakala
and had two seasons at the Market Theatre, provided a way for
Festival, he has also worked with the Gauteng Theatre
young and new audiences to connect with the local classic.
Practitioners’ Ishashalazi, the Savannah Trust in Harare
Book of Rebellations, co-written by Motshabi and Kgafela
and many others. Notably, he has worked with Twist
oa Magogodi, is part satire, part comedy, part farce that
Theatre in Durban and led processes of group collaboration
envisions a post-apocalyptic future filled with greed and
with younger emerging artists, resulting in the
corruption. As director, Motshabi fused music and drama to
development of at least five new South African plays.
create what has been called ‘a disturbing theatrical piece’. In 2015, with Bobby Rodwell’s 1997 workshopped piece, The Story I Am About to Tell, Motshabi revisted, reimagined and
Motshabi is currently working on publishing a collection of South African plays. ‘I live by the words of Ben Okri who says that writers
rethought the South African Truth and Reconciliation (TRC)
are dangerous when they tell the truth, writers are also
period and the way we understand it today.
dangerous when they tell lies,’ says Motshabi. ‘I try to be
Earlier this year, Motshabi directed Ompile Molusi’s Setswana play, Mogatapele, an imagination of
48 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
responsible with the work I create. Everything I do has an impact to shift things.’
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
At 23, bassist and composer, Benjamin Jephta has already made a name for himself as one of South Africa’s premier jazz double bass and electric bass players. As the 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, he joins the long list of previous winners who have served as role models, mentors and collaborators throughout his career.
BENJAMIN JEPHTA
B
enjamin Jephta is a graduate of the jazz
Mrubata, Sibongile Khumalo, Paul Hanmer, Feya Faku,
programme at the prestigious South African
Jimmy Dludlu, Simphiwe Dana, Mark Fransman, Hugh
College of Music at the University of Cape Town.
Masekela, Melanie Scholtz, Marcus Wyatt, Bokani Dyer
He has been performing in venues and festivals
and many others.
locally since the age of 15, having been mentored by 2012
He is involved in various original projects, ranging
SAJE Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz Education
from playing double bass in a free jazz orchestra to
winner, Fred Kuit. In addition, he has performed with
synth-bass in a pop band. He also spearheads two
various orchestras and small ensembles in Africa, Europe
projects that play his original material: a six-piece
and Asia.
African/fusion/funk project called the Tribe of Benjamin,
Jephta has achieved a great deal in his relatively
and his acoustic quintet, with which he released
short career. He was recently a runner up in the
Homecoming, plays music that draws on gospel and South
respected 2016 SAMRO Overseas Scholarships for
African roots.
instrumentalists and his debut album, Homecoming
Currently, Jeptha is in the process of recording new
(2015) was nominated for Best Jazz Album for the South
material for his next album and plans on releasing a
African Music Awards and Metro FM Music Awards.
single soon. ‘I will be collaborating with other artists on
Jephta has performed with a wide range of celebrated
new projects,’ he says. ‘And I would like to tour, not only
local and international musicians, including McCoy
in South Africa and Africa, but also internationally.’
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 51
2 0 1 7 | S TA N DA R D B A N K Y O U N G A RT I S T S
A balancing act into the future The recently appointed executive producer of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, Ashraf Johaardien, playwright and arts administrator, is excited by the challenges this newly created role will bring to his artistic and administrative life. Talking to Creative Feel, he outlines his ‘Balancing Act’ and what it will mean to the performers and the changing audience of the future.
J
ohaardien is full of praise for the previous artistic
could have a programme compiled by diverse minds. We
director of the National Arts Festival, Ismail Mahomed,
have a new artistic committee of deeply engaged artists and
who left after eight successful years to take on the role
cultural workers who are bent on rejuvenating the Festival
of CEO at the iconic Market Theatre in Johannesburg.
and orienting it to meet the challenges and demands of our
He gives him all the credit for the successful growth of the
times. The committee is divided into four genres – theatre,
National Arts Festival. It is that growth and success that
dance, music and visual arts – and we have appointed a
prompted the board of directors, under chairman Ayanda
member representing each of these genres to curate the
Mjekulaand, and National Arts Festival CEO Tony Lankester to
2017 programme around the theme “The Art of Disruption”:
create the position of executive producer and to have re-shaped
Samson Diamond on the music programme, Warona Seane
the role of the artistic committee, giving it a greater curatorial
on the theatre programme, and Ernestine White and
role – in line with many arts festivals around the world.
Gregory Maqoma on the visual arts and dance programmes
This new role at the National Arts Festival, which is seen
respectively. The curators will change every year, with
as a balancing act into the future by Johaardien, is meant to
different constellations of committee members responding
give life to the artistic committee’s curatorial vision while
to the submissions that we receive, and to the themes that
also building aspects of the programme that fall outside
emerge. I believe it will make for a stimulating space in
of the curation process. A challenge of aligning artistic
which audiences can engage both with the minds of these
and curatorial freedom with the strategic needs of donors,
curators and the works that they select.
sponsors and partners. ‘I have always been somebody who
‘Rather than an artistic director, the CEO of the Festival
likes to work within a team and brokering partnerships that
has appointed an executive producer – Ashraf Johaardien –
create deliberate value is a lot like interpretative dance: it
who will tie the programme together, find partners to co-fund
requires equal parts art, aptitude and heart.
the productions, and programme productions that do not fall
‘We have a core of well established festival visitors and we
within the parenthesis of the theme that we are exploring.
must make sure that we keep looking after them while at the
So apart from the works that open up and explore the “Art
same time making sure that the future audience is embraced,
of Disruption” theme, there will continue to be a selection
nurtured and guided. We need to help the young inexperienced
of choice pieces on the Main Programme that will satisfy a
performers who have worked so hard to bring their production
broad range of tastes, and of course the new works by our six
to the Fringe getting all the possible help. To have your work
outstanding Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners.’
performed or performing at the National Arts Festival is still a real honour and privilege for an artist and always should be.’ Current Chairperson of the Artistic Committee, Brett
The theme for the 2017 National Arts Festival (29 June to 9 July 2017) is ‘The Art of Disruption, which ‘looks at how the arts respond to social movement and upheaval, how art
Bailey, further elaborated on the changes that have taken
itself disrupts the social fabric, and also at disruptions of
place behind the scenes for the National Arts Festival. The
genres, with an emphasis on cross-cultural and inter-genre
artistic committee was previously called the artistic advisory
collaborations,’ says Bailey. ‘Disruption can be both distractive
committee, with the artistic director making programming
and a catalyst for change and growth. Apart from the various
decisions for the main festival programme. A decision was
productions on the Main Festival Programme that resonate
made ‘to create a space in which committee members could
with this theme, we will spotlight works on the Arena and
stretch their curatorial wings, and the National Arts Festival
Fringe programmes that also resonate with this theme, giving
52 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Ashraf Johaardien. PHOTO Jan Potgieter signposts to audiences that are intrigued with exploring how a
Ecce Homo!, adapted from Tim Miller’s Body Blows and The
broad range of artists are responding to our era of disruption.’
Quiet Violence of Dreams, based on the novel by K. Sello
Johaardien’s previous experiences as the head of Arts and
Duiker. His work has been performed and produced at
Culture at the University of Johannesburg, as well as Wits
mainstream theatres and festivals in South Africa, Ireland,
University, have equipped him well for this new position as
the UK, the Netherlands and the USA.
executive producer. He also headed the Arts & Culture Trust
Talking to him about balancing the future, seeing his
and during all these years he wrote, produced and performed
enormous enthusiasm for the arts and the unique arts festival in
work that has been staged at the National Arts Festival across
Grahamstown, the endless possibilities his new position brings
the event’s Main, Fringe and Arena stages. His first appearance
with it, one can only agree with Johaardien’s initial statement
at the Festival was in the 1993 Fringe production Suip!. He has
after the confirmation of his appointment: ‘The National Arts
worked in theatres in both Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Festival has an unrivalled reputation as the leading continental
His plays include Coloured Son X (debut), Salaam Stories/ SALAAM, Happy Endings Are Extra, STRIPPED, Miracle and
showcase of local and international creativity. To be able play a meaningful part in that is truly amazing.’ CF
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 53
SOUTH AFRICA: THE ART OF A NATION The British Museum is currently hosting the first major UK exhibition on South African art that explores a 100 000-year history through archaeological, historic and contemporary artworks, which look at the long and rich artistic heritage of the country. South Africa: the art of a nation uses art to tell the story of the region’s deep history, the colonial period, apartheid, the birth of the ‘rainbow nation’ and South Africa today. Objects from the British Museum’s own South African collections are displayed alongside contemporary acquisitions. There are also significant loans in the exhibition, including objects that have come to the UK for the very first time.
54 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
S
outh Africa: the art of a nation sheds light on the varied artistic achievements of South Africa with around 200 objects arranged chronologically across seven key episodes from the country’s history, from
ancient history to the present day. Each section is illustrated with artworks by contemporary artists that provide new perspectives regarding South Africa’s past. One example of this approach is a new acquisition that the British Museum has made to its permanent collection for this exhibition, Karel Nel’s Potent Fields (2002). Nel created Potent Fields, with its two planes of red and white ochre, in the same year as the discovery of the approximately 75 000-year-old cross-hatched ochre at Blombos Cave in the Western Cape. This discovery repositioned southern Africa, not Europe, as one of the earliest sites of artistic thought and creation. The tension in the piece between white and coloured planes echoes the colour divide of apartheid. Nel collected the ochre in Nelson Mandela’s ancestral lands in the Eastern Cape, and so the artwork also acknowledges the balance that Mandela dedicated his life trying to create among all people in post-apartheid South Africa. One of the most significant loans is the gold treasures of Mapungubwe, four of which have left South Africa for the very first time. From AD 1220 to 1290, Mapungubwe was the capital of the first kingdom in southern Africa. These gold figures, discovered in three royal graves there, are among the most significant sculptures in Africa today. They depict animals of high status – a cow, a wild cat and a rhinoceros, and objects associated with power – a sceptre and a bowl or crown. The only one of the Mapungubwe treasures to have travelled to the UK before is a gold bowl which underwent conservation work at the British Museum. The golden rhino is now the symbol of the Order of Mapungubwe, South Africa’s highest honour, first presented in 2002 to Nelson Mandela. The gold treasures of Mapungubwe are evidence of new developments in artistic production at the start of
Esther Mahlangu’s collaboration with BMW
the second millennium around the time of the creation
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 55
Ox horns
of the first southern African kingdoms, as society
two-metre-wide textile The Creation of the Sun (2015), a
shifted towards more hierarchical styles of rule. These
collaborative piece from Bethesda Arts Centre in South
archaeological artworks are important in contemporary
Africa. The artists at the centre are descendants of South
South Africa for many reasons, not least because they
Africa’s first peoples, the San and Khoikhoi who have been
are evidence that complex societies existed in the region
inspired by archival recordings of their ancestors’ beliefs
immediately prior to the arrival of European settlers.
to produce contemporary representations of their founding
This history was hidden during the apartheid era when
stories, such as the creation of the sun.
the colonial concept of terra nullius, the myth of an
South Africa has a dynamic contemporary art scene
empty land, was used to legitimise white rule. In the
with a rapidly growing global reputation. A variety of
exhibition, gold treasures of Mapungubwe are displayed
contemporary works are on loan to the British Museum, from
alongside a modern artwork by Penny Siopis and a
a self-portrait by Lionel Davis to video featuring Candice
sculpture by Owen Ndou that encourage the viewer to
Breitz, and a 3D installation by Mary Sibande. These pieces
challenge the historic assumptions of the colonial and
conclude a show punctuated throughout with pieces by
apartheid eras.
artists including Willie Bester, William Kentridge and Santu
The British Museum has been collecting contemporary
Mofokeng. This exhibition will open the eyes of visitors to
African art for over 20 years, and this exhibition presents
the long and diverse history of South African art. Through
an opportunity to showcase some of the pieces acquired
the exploration of key episodes and objects from throughout
from South African artists. A recent acquisition to the
the country’s history, it will reveal unique insights into
British Museum’s permanent collection is a stunning
South Africa today.
56 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
Transitions Willie Bester
Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum says, ‘South Africa: the art of a nation is a chance to explore the long and diverse history of South African art and challenge audience preconceptions in the way our visitors have come to expect from a British Museum exhibition. Temporary exhibitions of this nature are only possible thanks to external support so I am hugely thankful to Betsy and Jack Ryan’s continuing commitment to sponsoring projects at the British Museum. I would also like to express my gratitude to our Logistics partner IAG Cargo who are safely transporting incredible loans that will allow audiences in London to see the unique and powerful stories these objects can tell.’ CF
South Africa: the art of a nation 27 October 2016 - 26 February 2017 Room 35, British Museum
Xhosa snuffbox
Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 57
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA DIRECTOR: Kenneth Lonergan STARRING: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges Manchester by the Sea tells the story of the Chandler family, a working class family from Massachusetts. After Lee’s (Casey Affleck) older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) suddenly passes away, he is made the legal guardian of his nephew (Lucas Hedges). Lee is forced to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the community where he was born and raised. Set in the North Shore of Massachusetts, Manchester by the Sea is the new film written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me and Margaret).
58 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
AT CINEMAS 6 JANUARY 2017 Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 59
And where were you? Talking to Marianne Thamm about her latest book Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me: A memoir of sorts turned out to be a very frank and open interview with Lore Watterson for Creative Feel – after an initial clash on what it means to be German from two different view points.
H
aving always been a great fan of Marianne Thamm’s writing, both as commentator-at-large and as bestselling author of great non-fiction books, which include I Have Life: Alison’s Journey,
and particularly her two most recent publications, To Catch A
Cop: The Paul O’Sullivan Story and PJ Powers’ memoir Here I Am, her first openly personal book Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me: A memoir of sorts was eagerly awaited. The official blurb by her publishers, Tafelberg, is short and to the point: ‘Marianne Thamm delves into her own unconventional life story. Her German father fought for
‘I was extremely hard on my father and as a child when I
Hitler and made munitions for Verwoerd. He married her
learned about the holocaust... I was horrified that I come
largely illiterate Portuguese mother who worked as a cleaner
from him. He was the perpetrator of what is regarded as one
in England. Today Marianne is the proud mother of two
of the most appalling acts of the 20th century.’
(black) teenagers... Hers is the story of the last century, of
Thamm starts the book by first burying her mother and
the defeat of bigotry and a new era ushered in by Mandela.
then her father – out of the way, as she explains. These dark
Sad at times, deeply moving and, like Marianne, hugely
surrealistic chapters, like ‘no she did not weigh her father’s
entertaining.’
ashes’, set the tone for her ‘personal memoir’. Thamm
It is a complex, intriguing book in which Thamm, an
describes herself as half-Portuguese, half-German, and
outspoken, gay feminist and political activist, is trying
was born in the United Kingdom, where her parents met
to understand her upbringing, her parents and brother,
after her father’s release as a prisoner of war. Her mother,
while mostly focusing on her father. She is at times really
a Portuguese immigrant, does not feature strongly in
unforgiving and harsh in her judgement of her father. It is in
Thamm’s book. It is her father, who joined the Hitler Youth
essence the story of a father and a daughter, and the initial
and fought in Hitler’s Wehrmacht, with whom Thamm has
anger with her father is still tangible during the interview.
a very complex relationship. At times it feels insulting how
60 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
“He needed a lesbian daughter and two black grandchildren to fall in love with – without ever fully giving up his endless racial prejudice” for her father. It is a bit too stereotyped and also too easy
Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy
to reject her father so strongly while she herself grew up in
By Mike Love | Publisher: Faber & Faber | ISBN: 9780571324682
she condemns and ridicules Germans based on her feelings
and was a young adult during the apartheid era of her own country. ‘I was just a boy on a bicycle when the Kristallnacht, “the Night of Broken Glass”, happened’ her father told her when she confronted him about the horror in Berlin. That of course led Creative Feel to ask her where she was when the Soweto unrest happened, when she was just the same age as her father was. Somehow this really got her talking, there is
M
ike Love tells the story of his legendary, raucous, and ultimately triumphant five-decade career as the front man of The Beach Boys, the most popular American band in history – timed to
coincide with the 50th anniversary of ‘Good Vibrations’. As a founding member of The Beach Boys, Mike Love has
nothing more than a good argument to get Thamm going.
spent an extraordinary 55 years, and counting, as the group’s
The book shows the changes in the father-daughter
lead singer and one of its principal lyricists. The Beach Boys,
relationship as it develops from her childhood, growing
from their California roots to their international fame, are
up in a tough Afrikaans neighbourhood in Pretoria’s less
a unique American story. Love’s own story has never been
salubrious suburbs, to her present family, her partner and
fully told, of how a sheet-metal apprentice became the
their two teenage daughters. Thamm explains how the
quintessential front man for America’s most successful rock
adoption of two black girls with her partner changed her
band, singing in more than 5 600 concerts in 26 countries.
relationship with her own father. These children loved their
Love describes the stories behind his lyrics for pop classics
grandfather, he responded with love and how that love
such as ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘California Girls’, ‘Surfin’ USA’, and
softened (to some extent) her own feelings for her father.
‘Kokomo’, while providing vivid portraits of the turbulent lives
‘He needed a lesbian daughter and two black grandchildren
of his three gifted cousins, Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson.
to fall in love with – without ever fully giving up his endless
His partnership with Brian has few equals in American pop
racial prejudice.’
music, though Mike has carved out a legacy of his own – he
She explains how the generous help of her close friend,
co-wrote the lyrics to eleven of the twelve original Beach Boy
the Belgian author Tom Lanoye, created the opportunity for
songs that were top 10 hits while providing the lead vocals
her to write about ‘herself and her strange family’. She looks
on ten of them. The band’s unprecedented durability also
at her present life with her partner of 21 years and the two
provides a glimpse into America’s changing cultural mores
teenage children they have raised together. She looks at the
over the past half century, while Love himself has experienced
political changes this country has seen over the last 20 years
both the diabolical and the divine – from Charles Manson’s
and shares how she sees the book, Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela
‘family’ threatening his life, to Maharishi instilling it with
and me: A memoir of sorts, as an important account to give to
peace. A husband, a father and an avid environmentalist, Love
her own children one day – when they are old enough to ask
has written a book that is as rich and layered as the Beach Boy
her ‘and where were you when Soweto disrupted?’ CF
harmonies themselves. CF
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 61
The Yoga Kitchen Publisher: Jacana Media | ISBN: 9781431424047
highly stressful environment where she found herself ‘eating on the run and not having time to think about my health.’ Along with the ‘wonderful weird foods that are out there in the world’, in the UK Wright fell in love with Pilates and subsequently, yoga.
The Yoga Kitchen: 100 Easy Superfood Recipes by Marlien Wright is an appealing cookbook that delivers on its promise of delicious, simple, satisfying and nutritious meals.
M
Having qualified as a Pilates teacher in the UK, Wright opened a Pilates studio upon her return to SA, and then completed a yoga teacher’s training, soon discovering that yoga was her ‘first love’. ‘Once I got really into the yoga, I started eating a more plant based diet and that really worked for me and then I just kept on exploring food and nutrition… I did a nutritional therapy course, which I also love.’ Wright’s love for yoga and nutrition led her to start
arlien Wright is a yoga and Pilates teacher who
offering yoga retreats on the farm in Swellendam where
facilitates yoga and wellness retreats at her farm in
she currently lives. In order to cater for her visitors, Wright
Swellendam, Western Cape. She is also a certified
started creating recipes for healthy, simple meals inspired
nutritional therapy coach, a mom, and a ‘part-time
by the flavours she had found overseas. With the positive
hippy’. Wright’s delightful cookbook, The Yoga Kitchen, includes
responses she had been receiving from guests (and her own
100 superfood recipes, a general 21-day reboot plan, the A to Z of
children), Wright started a blog called The Yoga Kitchen and
vitamins and minerals and how you can get these from your food,
began sharing her recipes. A friend suggested she write a
and some traditional preserving and healthful cooking methods.
cookbook and it all grew organically from there.
In addition to creating the recipes, Wright is also the photographer behind the exquisite food images throughout the book. Marlien Wright’s food journey started in essence when she was living in the UK and working in the fashion industry; a
62 / Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017
The Yoga Kitchen: 100 Easy Superfood Recipes provides a truly easy and quick way to eat healthy meals that can be prepared in advance if needed, with ingredients that are readily available in South Africa.
Aubergine ‘Pizza’ Serves 4–6 n
2 medium-to-large aubergines
n
2 tbsp coconut oil
n
½ tsp pink salt
n
1 400 g jar of good pasta sauce (basil infused is a good choice)
n
½ cup of coriander or basil pesto
Wash, remove the stem, and slice the aubergines lengthways into 1cm-thick pieces, sprinkle them with salt and then place them on a baking tray greased with coconut oil in a 180°C preheated oven for 25–30 minutes. Spread a generous helping of pasta sauce and return them to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of pesto.
Coriander Vegan Pesto Yields 150 ml or ²/³ cup n
2 cups of loosely packed, fresh, washed and
Health benefits Aubergines, also known as eggplant or brinjal, have an impressive spectrum of nutrients in them, fibre, folic acid, potassium, manganese, as well as vitamins C, K and B6, phosphorous, copper, thiamine, niacin, magnesium and pantothenic acid. The phytonutrient nasunin, found in its skin, is a powerful antioxidant that protects brain cells against free radical damage. Tomatoes also have wide variety of healthy nutrients like vitamins A, C (to fight infections) and K, potassium (to control heart rate and blood pressure), manganese and vitamin E, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6 and folic acid, magnesium and phosphorus.
spin-dried coriander leaves n
125 ml olive oil
n
Juice of ½ a lemon
n
½ cup of cashew nuts
Three lucky Creative Feel readers stand the chance to win a
n
1 clove of garlic, crushed
copy of The Yoga Kitchen: 100 Easy Superfood Recipes.
n
Pink salt to taste To enter, send an email to competitions@creativefeel.co.za
Add all the ingredients to your food
and let us know why you should win a copy.
processor, and pulse until you have a course pesto consistency.
Competition closes on 31 January 2017.
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 63
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The Sound of Music in Durban
CDs & DVDs The latest releases to suit all tastes
Faces to the Sun | Mango Groove | Warner Music South Africa | 589216 Faces To The Sun is a double disc album comprising 24 songs and includes nine all-new, original Mango Groove tracks. The album also features 15 powerful and touching renditions of classic South African songs, with collaborations with some of SA’s finest artists. The new material, on the disc ‘Faces to the Sun: Here, Now and Forever’, celebrates Mango Groove’s skilful penmanship, with the lead single entitled ‘From The Get Go’. Other stand out tracks include the beautiful ‘Kind’ and the title track, ‘Faces To The Sun’. The collaborations on the disc ‘Memories & Moments’ are truly special with legendary and new artists alike, adding their voices to unforgettable songs like ’Mmalo We’, ‘Malaika’, ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, ‘Kinders Van Die Wind’ and ‘Another Country’, to mention but a few. Featured artists include Rebecca Malope, Vusi Mahlasela, Juanita du Plessis, Zolani Mahola from Freshly Ground, Kurt Darren, Romanz, Mo T from Mi Casa, and ‘Big Voice Jack’ Lerole (his last ever recordings), among others.
WIN
Creative Feel readers stand the chance to win a copy of this incredible double album. To enter, email competitions@creativefeel.co.za and let us know your favourite Mango Groove memory or moment. Closing date 31 January 2017.
You Want It Darker | Leonard Cohen | Sony Music | 536507 Shortly before his death at 82, acclaimed composer, singer and poet, Leonard Cohen, released his final album, You Want It Darker. The album, which was released in mid-October, has been described by early listeners as a ‘masterpiece’ and ‘classic Cohen’ and continues his significant contribution to contemporary music and thought. The album’s mortality-themed title track features appearances by Montreal cantor Gideon Zellermyer and the choir from Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue. The full-length album, produced by his son Adam, contains nine new original songs authored, for the first time in more than two decades, solely by Cohen. Rolling Stone gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying that ‘This is Cohen’s gift to music lovers: a realistically grim, spiritually radiant and deeply poetic worldview, generally spiked with a romantic thrum and an existential wink.’ With Uncut magazine commenting, ‘[I]t’s hard to imagine a richer, finer or more satisfying finale than this. There’s no question the man’s earned his smoke break.’
Creative Feel / December 2016 / January 2017 / 65
encore Linda Bukhosini is the Chief Executive and Artistic Director of The
Playhouse Company in KwaZulu-Natal, where she provides both strategic
and artistic leadership. As CEO, a position she has held since 2005, she also overseas good governance practices and has seen The Playhouse receive three unqualified and six clean audit reports consecutively over the last nine years. Bukhosini is a highly regarded arts administrator as well as an excellent performer who holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.
Name three artworks that you love and why.
Name one thing you think would improve the arts and
I have a ‘thing’ for classical work from various cultures. The
culture industry in South Africa.
top three, in order of appreciation, are:
I’d like to make an appeal to the private sector and wealthy
ORATORIO (I grew up with choral traditions of KwaZulu-
South Africans to make a meaningful and equitable
Natal and found at an early age that understanding the
contribution to funding arts, culture and heritage (ACH)
melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures and notations
of our beloved country. The intrinsic values of ACH have
came very easy to me. I have been blessed to sing this on
a direct spin-off for public good and creating a healthy
local and various prestigious world stages.)
mindset, soulful appreciation of various cultures and civic
SCATHAMIYA (I grew up listening to Ukhozifm – the then
pride. Investing in ACH is a more noble human activity than
Radio Zulu, and I was fascinated by the music structures
making investments primarily for personal gain.
and varied group styles. With assistance from Prof. Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, we started
What is your most treasured possession?
presenting the national Scathamiya Festival, which will
My family.
celebrate 20 years in 2017.) BALLET (It is a great pleasure to watch the graceful, intricate
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
movements and mastery involved.)
Not sure yet...
Name one artist you would love to meet.
What is it that makes you happy?
Maria Callas – not the prettiest of voices – but WOW, what
Hmmmm... Simple things in life give me a sense of joy
this lady could do with her instrument is simply AWESOME.
e.g. taking time to smell roses in my garden, cooking a wholesome meal for my family and, oh, being ‘in the
What are you reading at the moment?
zone’ when delivering that melodious lyrical phrase when
My bible – just bought the NIV with Chronological Order.
singing... Wow – how cathartic as well.
What is in your car’s CD player?
Describe a defining moment in your life.
The dramatic version of the King James Bible.
I learned so much from being a mom... not a particular moment, but a joyful experience filled with Godly wisdom.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What projects will you be busy with during 2016 and
To cultivate a more loving approach to life.
into 2017? The hills (of KZN) are alive with The Sound of Music for the
How have the arts industries in South Africa changed
entire month of December.
over the last ten years? It’s so wonderful to observe the growing number of black
Name one goal you would like to achieve in the next
artists excelling in art forms that we were previously
twelve months.
systematically excluded from.
Learning to live well each day. CF
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