The Whale Show is a family production that uses a large puppetry to enlighten and entertain the audience. The two protagonists have spent so much time with whales they behave just like them and even speak whale language, sharing their awe and wonder of these magical creatures. Themes include similarities and differences between whales and humans, threats to whales and whale facts and figures. The audience is encouraged to think critically about their values and the importance of whale conservation when the audience is invited to stop the giant harpoon.
The Whale Show is 45 minutes in duration and is suitable for Grades R – 3. An accompanying drama skills workshop of 45 minutes is also available.
After a 3 year hiatus The Whale Show, based on Heathcote Williams’ ‘Whale Nation’, returned to the stage in 2011 opening with a run at Kalk Bay Theatre. Created in 2001, the play has toured the National Arts Festival; Out The box festival, the Whale Festival in Hermanus; and numerous schools as part of International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) outreach education and awareness campaigns including twinning programmes with underprivileged and privileged schools. It has also been included in the YES programme for Marine Week and enjoyed successful public runs in Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Muizenberg in 2008. In October 2015 The Whale Show traveled to the Overstrand region where it was performed for learners from local schools. The show was last performed at the City of Cape Town, Biodiversity Management Staff at their year end function in November 2016.
Growing up in rural area a young man known by his nick name “The Shoe Man” take us through a journey that may change the lives of South African youth today. He is forced to attend high school in a closest town, since he is waiting for the government to build one in his area. Passionate about completing his matric, he struggles to survive through depressions posed by children from his community and settling his fees at his multiracial school. (The play is dedicated to the late Andile “King, Jesus” Mdletshe)
Emperor Loxly’s court is in turmoil, because his designer quit the day before his birthday, and left His Highness without a new show-stopper outfit. That is, however not the only problem. The much bigger issue is Wonty, the unenthusiastic court jester, who stole the emperor’s prized watch, and is planning to take over the kingdom. The emperor’s loyal servant, Wilma, tries to maintain the status quo: keeping Loxly happy and Wonty quiet, but then Wonty is banned, Loxly almost loses his mind, and a stranger makes his appearance. Can the smooth talking, never-heard-of designer called Wontier, save the day?
In the workshop, learners evaluate all the characters in the play, and decide who displayed good leadership skills. They also apply it to their own environment and lives.
The story of Fiona and Andromeda who travel from the confines of the inner city to outer space and back… Along the way they encounter an Elephant that changes them and allows them to see the world differently and perhaps a little more.
A Day in the Desert is a collaboration between Jenine Collocott (The Snow Goose, Sunday Morning, Dirt, High Diving) from South Africa and Barbara Draeger from Germany. They studied together at Helikos International School of Theatre Creation under master pedagog Giovanni Fusetti – who is particularly renowned for his clown work. It was here that the first seeds for A Day in the Desert were planted. Jenine and Barbara then teamed up with the internationally awarded writer Nick Warren (Sunday Morning, Dirt) who came on board as dramaturge.
A Girl Called Owl charts a friendship that starts in the heat of the Overberg summer between two ten-year-old girls, finding them again six years later. Olivia arrives in the town with her Dad; she is the new girl, the quiet girl, the weird girl. Then she meets Kay, the girl with the scar. Horwitz performs over ten characters, from the two young girls and their teenage counterparts to both their fathers and a group of boisterous men. Owl is a story about climbing trees, punching boys and kissing girls, touching sensitively, and not without humour, on issues including: coming of age – identity and choice; teen sexuality; homosexuality; domestic abuse; being/feeling different; friendship; love; violence – physical/implicit; changing relationships with authority figures/parents/teachers. The lead character is a girl so the play may be classed under ‘women’s issues’. However, the way in which she relates to the men in her environment, and they to her, makes this play important for men as well.
Written and directed by Jon Keevy, performed by Briony Horwitz, with staging by Fiona du Plooy and music composed for the show by Brydon Bolton, A Girl Called Owl premiered as Owl in 2012, receiving praise such as ‘Horwitz delivers an enchanting performance. Her versatility as an actress is astonishing…moving and evocative.” (Cape Times); “… beautifully observed…totally delicious …” (Megan’s Head) and four stars from the Cape Argus. Since then it has travelled all over SA and at the 2012 National Arts Festival it was invited to the Brighton and Prague Fringe festivals. At Brighton it gathered more praise, including two 5-star reviews and a nomination by Latest magazine as Best International Performance.
Mahlatsi Mokgonyana, the winner of Sibikwa Storytelling without Borders Competition 2011 for Bohlale bja Tswene and other stories and the judges included Gcina Mohlophe. It was encouraging to see so many young entrants and the winner is only 18. “This bodes well for the future of storytelling in South Africa,” said Phyllis Klotz, the artistic director of the Sibikwa Arts Centre, which hosted the event.
Bohlale bja Tswene and other stories is a set of African folktales put together giving children and young people half an hour of exciting, energetic and funny African storytelling experience. The stories include life lessons and also help us understands why are things the way they are in this world that we live in. All the stories are told through the use of old age African songs, puppets, and visual arts.
Written by Clinton Marius and directed by Mpume Mthombeni, this is a heartwarming story about a young Zulu herdboy who learns that the little calf he loves is to become a gift for the king. It is about Nguni cattle and their role in African society, growing up, honesty, and doing the right thing.
The production is available in English or isiZulu, as a puppet show, and also as a stand-alone reading.
Untouchable Productions presents:
BLOOD ORANGE
a new work
Directed by Greig Coetzee
Performed by Craig Morris
Scripted by Greig Coetzee, Craig Morris & Troy Blacklaws
From the Novel by Troy Blacklaws
Greig Coetzee directs the latest exciting offering by physical theatre performer Craig Morris.
The story of Gecko, a boy who has an oblique, out-of-sync way of seeing the world, of his childhood among the green hills of Natal and of his jagged school days in the Cape, where the Simonsberg drinks the Blood Orange sun at dusk. James Dean and Wilbur Smith have two-bit parts in this drama that begins with man landing on the moon and ends with Mandela riding a mermaid to freedom. A zany “Catcher in the Rye“! Festival favourite Greig Coetzee is well known to Natal audiences, and has performed extensively here over the last decade. He has recently decided to devote more time to his first love, writing, and less to performance.
Craig Morris was schooled at Port Shepstone High before studying at Rhodes University under Andrew Buckland and Prof. Gary Gordon as a founder member of The First Physical theatre Company. Festinos will remember Craig from Attachments 1-6, and Hero (directed by Andrew) which performed at Hilton last year.
Troy Blacklaws is the author of the original novel Blood Orange. He was born in Pinetown, studied at Rhodes and now teaches and writes in Germany! He recently flew out from Germany to attend the premiere performances of Blood Orange in Grahamstown!
Three very distinctive creative voices have come together to create, in collaboration, what is fast becoming a contemporary Physical Theatre classic!
TACTICS is a collection of daring short plays written by young South African writers who have worked with The Framework.
Five short plays are performed by performers, they will play different parts, and the plays will be performed in a different order to create a completely new whole. In keeping with the Framework’s ethos, no two performances will be the same.
All the plays are multiply cast, allowing the actors to play different roles each time. Both actors and audience formulate relationships and meaning afresh at each showing. To this end, the actors have been Framework-trained, but not rehearsed, so that they have to thrash out their virgin choices before the audience.
The Framework’s team brings this new, totally edgy, intersection between text and performance in a style that demands the following of the performers: Play yourself, play the best part of yourself, don’t ever apologise and play to win.