Die towersleutel neem vir Kalla, Biebie, Vlooi en Flappie op ‘n avontuur na ‘n bos waar die singende, kokende Draak woon. Flappie beland in haar kloue, en amper in haar pot! Leerders sien bekende lees-woorde op die verhoog as deel van die rekwisiete, en word op ‘n interaktiewe manier bekendgestel aan basiese teater-terme.
Die Draak se Boom
The magic key sends Kalla on an adventure to the Litter Queen’s palace. He meets her two side-kicks, Rat and Poison, and experiences what it feels like when litter is not picked up, but thrown around. The audience helps the action along, by finding key words that are placed around the auditorium. A fun, literacy adventure!
‘Puppet Park‘ is a newly written educational & musical production touching sensitive subjects regarding racism, homosexuality, family issues, abuse and bullying etc. Newly written songs will be added to assist with the message from stage. A message of love and acceptance. From the creative pen of Xander Steyn who has a list of productions that he has written, directed and choreographed – www.xanderartproductions.co.za – this is a production is a must see for every school and child in South Africa.
Nina has just woken from a bad dream. Or was it a dream? Either way, she can’t fall back asleep in case it comes back. But it’s bedtime now and the dark is making her feel strange, too… How is she going to navigate through this dark night and the nightmare stuck in her head?
Night Light uses live music, video projection, shadows, light-play and live performance to explore a night in the life of Nina, a young girl trying to deal with the thoughts and feelings which are haunting her as she lies in bed. The play evokes those moments when we feel alone: afraid of the dark, or going through life changes and unable to express ourselves. Aimed at 9-12 year olds who are at a delicate time, caught between the expectations of growing up and still haunted by childhood fears, this magical and mysterious piece encourages children to listen to their inner voice.
Generously supported by the National Lotteries Commission, Well Worn Theatre Company proudly present their latest production for young audiences. ‘Galela‘ is a thirst-quenching new play about a community deeply affected by our country´s water issues.
Splash! Splutter! Then shhhhhh… Only ripples left. Would you dive in next?
Three best friends bravely embark on a project to make their town´s drinking water safe again. They soon discover, however, that they have waded into hot water and that the problems affecting the town dam are deeper and murkier than at first glance. Still determined to make a difference and to secure the future of their friends and family, the trio dive in to fix the mess, proving in spectacular fashion that children with the biggest imaginations will save the world.
Nationally acclaimed eco-education company, Well Worn Theatre, proudly present the latest production in their three-year touring play programme generously funded by the National Lotteries Commission. ´Galela´ is the thirst-quenching story of a small community deeply affected by our country’s water issues. Directed by multi-award winning Thembela Madliki (‘Nyanga’ NAF 2016 and ‘Bayephi’ NAF 2017), ‘Galela’ features the energetic physical theatre talents of Lerato Sefoloshe, Mlindeli Emmanuel and Tebogo Machaba, and is geared for children aged 7 to 12, though parents, teachers and older siblings will also enjoy this epic adventure play!
An IsiXhosa name meaning ‘pour’, ‘Galela’ is the thirst-quenching story of a small community deeply affected by drought. The show dives head first into the deep end of the serious water issues affecting our country, and though geared for children aged 7 to 12, this epic adventure play will whet all peoples creative appetites, and also refresh or fill ALL South Africans with some much needed, every day, water-saving tips. ‘Galela’ premieres at the 2018 National Arts Festival followed by a tour to primary schools and festivals across South Africa, in the aim to entertain, educate, and imaginatively engage learners and audiences about issues of drought, water consumption and water pollution.
To book a performance of ´Galela´for your school, organisation or event, please email wellworntheatre@nullgmail.com or call Kyla on 0767152414
Poster Image by Ellen Heydenrych (Hey_Ellen Illustrations)
Jade Bowers (2016 Standard Bank Young Artist, Naledi Theatre Awards Best Director for Scorched) and Ameera Patel (Naledi Theatre Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Scorched) join forces to present ‘Black’. Based on CA Davids’ 2014 novel ‘The Blacks of Cape Town’, Gold Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning writer/director Penny Youngleson has written an adaptation for stage which intricately balances the poetry and pain of discovery, of unpacking history and the drama of family politics. Accomplished actress Patel tackles her first one-hander, under the directorial hand of Bowers, and with musical composition and accompaniment by Daniel Geddes.
While based abroad, historian Zara Black (Patel) learns via an officious but vague letter from the South African government, that documents once sealed and implicating her father in an act (which, while not clearly defined, was committed against the anti-apartheid movement decades earlier) will soon be released to the public. The resultant unearthing of her own past begins with Isaiah Black – the grandfather that ‘started it all’ when he stole a handful of diamonds from one of the world’s largest diamond mines in Kimberley. This act, however, is overshadowed by what the family considers his far greater crime – concealing his (mixed) race to escape the harsh realities of the mines before abandoning his mother and ultimately changing his name. His choice of surname is not without irony; because having been classified as mixed, he had passed as white, but had given rise to a line of coloured children and grandchildren. His granddaughter Zara finds herself alone and displaced in New Jersey, caught up in the excitement of an American election of a new and historic president, while trying to make sense of South Africa of the past and present: constructing a history for herself and her family from fragmented recollections and family lore.
WHAT THE WATER GAVE ME
By Rehane Abrahams
Directed by Jade Bowers
:: Cast ::
Cherae Halley
This powerful piece of authentically South African theatre is an elemental exploration, which digs up gestures and stories that have been buried in the darkness of Cape Town’s history. Flowing from lush stories of ancient majicks to gritty tales of urban terror, the play traces the stories of four characters, with a storyteller who weaves their worlds together. Through the resources of imagination, the characters are able to transfigure their existing realities. Awarded a SILVER Standard Bank OVATION at the National Arts Festival 2014 this production has been called “as beautiful as it is compelling” and “a performance worth seeing.”
:: JADE BOWERS is a theatre director, production, set, sound and lighting designer, and also Theatrical Rights Administrator for DALRO. Named one of AfriPOP’s Top Five Female Theatre Makers in South Africa, last year she was also nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award. For more info find Jade Bowers Design and Management on Facebook and follow @jadeherself.
:: CHERAE HALLEY
Cheraé Halley was born in the Eastern Cape, East London and moved to Johannesburg where she completed both honours and masters in Dramatic Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand. She completed three years of South African Sign Language studies as an extra course. Having studied Applied Theatre and Performance Studies, Cheraé has a burning desire to create theatre with both Deaf and hearing people with particular interest in HIV/AIDS and using drama as process to educate and dialogue on the matter. In 2010 Cheraé was awarded the Drama For Life scholarship through which she completed her award winning, practice lead research MA research.
In 2012, having a passion for the stage, Cheraé performed in the recently published controversial play The Merry Wives of Zuma written and directed by Pieter-Dirk Uys.Cheraé is a member of the DFL Playback Theatre company in South Africa, and has completed both core training and advanced training courses in Playback Theatre.
Cheraé currently is the project officer for the HIV/AIDS Deaf awareness project at GALAGALA (Gay and Lesbian memory in Action) which travels across Deaf schools in Johannesburg using educational theatre in addressing HIV/AIDS. She facilitates Applied Theatre workshops for the University of Johannesburg Art Centre and since 2013,Cheraé has been coordinating and lecturing the Applied Theatre Studies IIIA course, (now including IIIB) at Wits University under the Division of Drama For Life.
Londoloza is a South African childrens’ play that tackles nature and water conservation. The show is an awareness of how can save water, use it in a responsible manner and the show also looks at the various things that effect our environment such as littering and pollution. All of which are linked to wasting and polluting water. The show is comprised of 4 actors, who use dance, singing and puppetry in order to get the narrative across. The show encourages recycling and informs its audience on the various methods there are to recycle or re-use items instead of littering or throwing them away. Thabo and Namhla are childhood friends who love their community and find various ways of saving water and taking care of the environment. Mabutho and Makapisi are the community rebel children who do not care about preserving water and the environment. They are rude and bully Thabo and Namhla every time they try to do something good for their community. It is not until Mabutho and Makapisi ruin the whole environment and wastes all the community’s water, that they get a wakeup call and finally turn their lives around after seeing the effects of not taking care of their environment and water. This show is highly interactive and allows the children to be part of the story so that they are actively involved in the development of the story. The cast will ask the audience questions and at various intervals ask some of the audience to come up on stage to help the characters in the show with whatever they need at the time. This show will run for 30 minutes and at the end the cast as well as the audience (teachers are also welcome)will have a brief questions and answers session after the show to unpack some of the things that came up in the play.
The first 10 minutes of the show, begins with the cast performing a popular children story
- Cinderella
- Little Red Riding Hood
The next 15 minutes, short little extracts of various books will be performed by the cast to get the children excited about the various books that the school/teacher is trying to get the children to read.
Example:
- George’s Marvellous Medicine
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The last 5 minutes is spent playing interactive games that will allow the children to interact with the cast. This is more of a wrap up for the whole performance program.
- Going on a Bear Hunt
The show looks at the never ending battle between the queens wives, the disruptive lack of modesty in the laymen, the bad luck that seems to follow the heir and the laughable bad decisions made by the king’s close friends. This seeks to show the similarities between the king and queens and the so called commoner, the most evident similarity being the chaos that comes with the every day life. So maybe we are all kings and queens with our portion of chaos?
The traditional African stories are told using physical and vocal gestures to elevate and honor the ancient art of oral tradition. The storyteller, the bare stage and the graceful gestures will take audiences on imaginative trips across the African continent, moving from Nigeria to Lesotho and every place in between.