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.
The show uses storytelling to relate the ancient and not commonly known history of the roots of the South African people. History of SA: Quick-Quick One Time! locates the different cultures through the various provinces, giving the learners an in to geography, taking them through celebration ceremonies, ancient art, music and celebrates the South African languages.
The show in its current incarnation is suitable for learners from the age of 3 to 7, but can be crafted and extended according to the schools specifications to be suitable for ages between 3 – 13, elaborating more on the different aspects of cultures, ranging from cuisine to traditional garb, to current dynamics (i.e. a modern South Africa in which citizens are not bound to their homelands but move freely in the country to find employment, to marry into different cultures) and to widen their knowledge of their country.
The piece is interactive therefore smaller groups of between 20 to 25 children are ideal, however the piece can be crafted for larger groups with less interaction and more storytelling.
Does anyone have any idea what the impact of the pandemic of HIV and AIDS is having on our children and their family life? How does one approach this sensitive subject? Did you know that a live theatre show like, Tand’ Impilo can open up a safe space to discuss the subject and this forum can save lives?
Objective
Creating a visual experience using CREATIVE ARTS and MAGIC to show easy examples of how to re-duce, re-use and up-cycle with objects found in the house. In doing that, the students will understand what these concepts are and why they are important. Using STORYTELLING AND by giving them each materials that they can DESIGN into an up-cycled creative art at home themselves, creates a full rounded and internal experience to inspire them to care for the earth.
About the Director:
Studying performing arts and teaching in drama at the Waterfront Theatre College, she taught drama at the Stellenbosch Waldorf School for 3 years and in 2016 she was a part of a programme called ‘Miss Earth South Africa’ and became one of 16 National finalists. At the end of the year she wrote a play called “The Recycling adventures of Reece”. A play that aims to inspire children and up lift them through storytelling and teaches them about taking care of the earth.
Details:
Limited
amount
of students: 100
Price includes
(For each student): Materials to create an up-cycled design for themselves. (There are options and depends on what each school prefers.)
Production runs once a year during the months of May and June.
Vision statement:
To create a sustainable difference and educate our children through storytelling, inspiring them to care for the earth so that they can have a greener future.
JTC has created 2 versions of this production i.e storytelling and street theatre. With a cast of 7 the latter version is a visual street theatre piece and uses daring stilt characterizations, animal masks, original music and Nama language. The storytelling version has 3 characters who portray hilarious frogs who lead the animals to discover their own talents and to stand up to the bully. The storytellers continuously link the folktale to the language, the culture & history of the Khoikhoi as well as to their personal experiences. Insights into the behaviour of humans and wild animals are revealed. Both versions make use of English, Afrikaans & Nama (Khoikhoi language).
When Lion Had Wings is 40 minutes in duration with the storytelling version most suitable for Grades 4-7 whereas the street theatre version is fun for the whole family.
When Lion Had Wings, was developed during the course of 2016 and made its debut at the Cape Town Fringe Festival and was subsequently performed at the Muizenberg Festival as part of Project Ripple; the Cape Town Embrace event in celebration of Universal Children’s Day; at Streetopia and at the Vrygrond Festival. During February 2017 the street theatre version was performed as part of JTC’s Our Beaches Our Stories project which brought public art performances to public recreational spaces i.e. Monwabisi, Strandfontein and Muizenberg Pavilions, promoting natural and cultural heritage. The storytelling version toured local primary schools during November of 2016, was performed at the Masque Theatre early December and toured the Northern Cape at the start of March 2017.
uNontombi is a traditional musical play which portrays two men fighting over a beautiful woman in a Zulu village. The young man Mkhonto make use of traditional powers to win the love of uNontombi as our story continues the audience witnesses a crucial turn where love is taking its direction. we see mbuzini a close friend of Mkhonto betrays him by proposing uNontombi and only to find out that she loves Mbuzini more than Mkhonto.
National Children’s Theatre (NCT), kick starts its 2017 season with an upbeat family musical that has a simple but heartwarming message: Accept the skin you’re in! Step inside the world of Freckleface Strawberry who will do anything to get rid of her freckles. This funny, witty, entertaining production will run at NCT from 14 March 2017 during school holidays.
This production has been made possible by the last part of a grant of R2m from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC).
Based on the best-selling book by actor, Julianne Moore, Freckleface Strawberry The Musical tells the story of a young, red-haired girl with freckles, who is being teased by her school-friends. She tries everything to make herself look like others as she is so embarrassed by the spots that won’t rub off, the hair colour that won’t wash out, the makeup that doesn’t work. In desperation, she comes to school in a ski mask. With the assistance of her helpful and loving friends, Freckleface eventually learns that everyone is different and that’s what makes everyone special.
The delightful songs: Little Freckleface Strawberry, I Like Danny, Kid in the Mask, Be Yourself, Basketball, When You Got Friends, will have the audience bopping on their seats. The high upbeat energy of this feel good show with memorable characters will touch your heart, charm you with its message and have you dancing out of the theatre at its conclusion.
Professional talented actors will keep both children and adults delighted and enthralled. The message is friendship, acceptance and discovering that being different is what makes us unique.
The creative team includes Artistic Director: Francois Theron, Musical Director: Rowan Bakker, Original Choreography: Shelly Adriaanzen and restaged by Phillida Le Roux, Costume Design: Sarah Roberts, Set Design: Stan Knight and Lighting Design: Jane Gosnell.
An educational enrichment guide is available for schools to use as support material in the classroom.
When: 14 March to 13 April 2017
Time: Daily at 10:30 and 14:30 during government school holidays; 1½ hours with a short intermission
Where: National Children’s Theatre, 3 Junction Avenue, Parktown, Johannesburg.
Tours To schools can be arranged
Ticket prices: Tickets for chairs are R120 and tickets for cushions are R100.00. Tickets for Pensioner’s are R100.00. Phone Claudy or Zuki on 011 484 -1584/5 or email bookings@nullnctt.org.za . There is ample free, safe parking available within the grounds. Note Booking is essential as some days we tour to schools.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Visit our website on www.nationalchildrenstheatre.org.za
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/117104588327503/ and keep up to date with production news on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NCTParktown and Instagram: https://instagram.com/nctparktown/
A couple research the place where their lives toppled over…
Magic realism with full expressive masks
Médéa and Simion, two aged characters coming from another world, come back to give homage to their beloved child. Accompanied by a cello they first portray us their everyday lives: their binding affection, their habits…After which however, all suddenly changes. The memories bring back the sadness. They have come back to find peace again, but at which price? Simion is responsible for the death. Médéa must sacrifice Simion : is he innocent ? Or is he guilty ? Only the Gods can decide…
Death. Love. Sacrifice.
The prelude to the original creation of the piece “Flowers of Silence” was the song by Jacque Brel: “Les vieux” (The aged). This visual piece (non-verbal) is intimate and relooks at the family dilemmas of the Greek tragedies, where love, death, jealousy and vengeance lie. During this however the nuances of the play could well make the audience even laugh. Therefore the comic does indeed meet the tragic. The audience reconstruct the story by the elements given (principally through objects and the music, the latter even allowing for a ‚Flashback’, giving the audience even more the means to dive deeper into the strange universe of this couple). The masks, half-animal half-human, express sadness and madness however this couple remains profoundly poetically touching and humane.
The show brings diverse audiences together as it is performed on the street, in the townships as well as in schools. It is a form of popular theatre, told simply for all to understand. The message in the piece is not a question of moral, but rather one of observation and reflection, without answers, upon the human condition: who is culpable? Where is there place for destiny in our lives?
An ancient forgotten world falls upon our new modern world.
A one-man show with a girl who isn’t there. A story both sad and optimistic, of love, hate and suicidal puppets.
Tim Redpath takes the audience through the wonderful story of the girl Mouche, Capitaine Coq and his travelling puppet family. Mouche tells the story of puppeteer Luc Peyrot, whose sad life has left him dark, cruel and silent and whose heart is only evident through the puppets on his hands. It’s a love story with a bit of life, death and art woven together in a charming French setting. It is entertaining, poignant, funny, and thoroughly worth seeing.
‘Mouche’ debuted at the South African National Arts Festival in July, 2007, and has been enchanting audiences ever since. The show toured a very successful run in the U.K. under Sweet Entertainments at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2009) where Tim Redpath won the Sweet Best Actor Award for his performance. ‘Mouche’ then went on to the Short & Sweet Festival in Leicester Square in London (2009), and the Oxford Fringe Festival in March (2010).
Written and directed by Laine Redpath Cole and based on Paul Gallico’s Love of Seven Dolls