In Grommels, a big grey wall surrounds a small grey world. In this world, colour is just a memory… a dream. This is the world of two peculiar beings: Bluegrommel (Robert Hindley) and Yellowgrommel (Angelique Filter) – the last two colours left. Every day, the Grommels wear their hats. Yellowgrommel catches sunlight. Bluegrommel catches rain. Until a day arrives that is unlike any other Grommel day… A live audience appears! They are being watched, closely… The wind rises, thunder roars, and the whispers of the little wall-people become a whirlwind. The grumbling Grommels butt heads, each stubbornly chasing their own needs, until they are separated on opposite sides of the wall. For the first time, they are alone.
The Grommels take the audience on a playful journey as they rediscover the true meaning of connection. In a quiet moment of magic, the colour of the Grommels’ hats mixes in water, creating something the Grommels could have never imagined – green! Perhaps they are not the last colours after all. Nature floods back onto stage in a rush of nostalgic imagery. In an age where humanity seems uprooted from the natural world, Grommels plants a small seed of hope.
Xoli, Bawdy, Sam and Karla are a group of grade 11 girls who attend the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG), Makhanda. The all girls’ school is a 187-year-old private boarding school that delivers an IEB curriculum. Their brother school is St Andrew’s College, a 232-year-old all boys’ school. Classes are shared by boys and girls from Grade 10-12. These two schools are separated by a giant green gate which is locked at 11pm in the evening and unlocked at 6am in the morning by tired security guards in navy blue uniform. While St Andrew’s is a gateless grounds spanning 5 blocks, DSG has recently built a wall around itself with electric fence to keep the outside out and the inside in. The girls roil and suffocate inside.
They are baby anarchists. New free–thinkers. And dreaming together into future liberatory possibility.
Xoli and Sam are in love or falling in love. Something muted and grounded and real. On Saturday afternoons they bunk out of school grounds with Bawdy and Karla to the often deserted train station in the centre of Makhanda to get high, shit-talk, dream, wonder if they will get to the other side of now. They are thinking into critical liberatory pedagogies into building nations that are not the stifled prison-house they feel they are in. They all feel, acutely, the discomfort of something itching – they know something is not right with the world.
There is friction in Xoli and Sam’s fragile relationship; Bawdy fuels the fire while dealing with preganancy and the decisions she must make. Karla’s mother as recently passed and she is moving through the aftermath. They talk about school and boys and race. They talk about disciplinary cases happening at both the boys and girls schools. Bawdy insists the politics will play themselves out. There is an altercation, an ideological impasse at which point one must act. It is the realisation of something euphoric, of power to destroy, of having the real potential to dismantle; and something horrific, no longer romantic, real and with real consequences. Suddenly there is the sound of the school guard and they run. In the panic and commotion as the nearby public rush towards the rising fire, the girls separate pursued on foot. At the normal meeting place, all but one girl return – Sam.
Sam is handed over to her school which immediately begins the process of questioning, gathering evidence and building a disciplinary case. Sam exposes Bawdy. Heads must roll. Sam’s parents remove her from the school before the date of her official tribunal. Xoli gets expelled. Bawdy gets expelled. Karla gets one-month suspension which she will spend at her father’s lake house in Plettenberg Bay.
Playright Aldo Brincat is that first-generation South African of Mauritian, Egyptian and Maltese heritage. Born in mid-60’s South Africa, Brincat, along with his family, find their maturing years playing out against the backdrop of a country in turmoil.
Aldo Brincat’s award winning hit, The Moon Looks Delicious From Here, is a 70 minute, largely autobiographical solo performance, which is driven by a loving father and son relationship – each from different eras and motherlands. Here, Brincat plays an array of characters in and around a fragile young nuclear family – some foreign, some local – all of whom are finding or losing themselves in the ever-changing political landscape that is South Africa. Language, religion, ambition, sexuality, and political leanings are brought into sharp focus as our two lead characters fight off ‘otherness’, while attempting to assert themselves into a volatile new country. Key moments in their lives are juxtaposed against powerful developments in South Africa’s history during the 70s and 80s and, as the effects of apartheid (and its homophobic policies) begin to reach boiling point, family ties threaten to tear apart.
The Moon Looks Delicious From Here is universal in its theme, particularly at this time when the intersectional knock-on effects of migrancy, sexuality, heritage and identity are brought increasingly into our consciousness.
Written and performed by the international multi award winning interdisciplinary artist, Aldo Brincat, and directed by Sjaka September, with music by the multi award winning international composer, performer and producer, Bongiziwe Mabandla.
In the beginning the first ever cursed was when God cursed Adam and Eve after the forbidden fruit saga, but now allow us to take you on the journey of the supernatural curse that was altered by the great one Nkwenhle and NQULABETHU when cursing this family from eNtathakusa “Hlase Family” with the “Delunga”, a spirit that feeds on female twins.
This supernatural power play will invoke the whole place, whole play, and characters CURSE. Two characters, break and take us through the family curse, a secret that builds up and takes down the family of Hlase twins. This play will be about two twins Cebisa (boy) and Nongcebo (girl), born and bred eNtathakusa.
It is all about the twins who did not know that they were related because when their young their parents separated after having a fight, they went or took different parts, separated some of the things and some of them were Cebisa and Nongcebo. The mother natured Nongcebo and the father groomed Cebisa when they were both eight months into the world.
They grew apart, lived different lives, and adopted different styles up until they met up when they were old and fell in love, They take us into this relationship phase they just started only to find out, that they started their family too, and have their twins without knowing that they are related.
This show will be narrated by our storytellers which is Nkwenhle and NQULABETHU who has so much knowledge and knows so much about THE CURSE. Things keep on getting worse and more cursed because they only realise that at the end they are related and they are cursed with the spirit of Delunga a spirit that feeds on female twins. We will be introduced to challenges and different ways to resolve challenges but the question is, will these challenges be solved since they were CURSED at the beginning?”
“Dude! Wa’s My Phone?” is designed for high school students from Grade 10 to Grade 12 who are enrolled in Dramatic Arts. This age group is our main target audience, given the themes’ relatability, the cultural insights it offers, and its ability to captivate and educate a demographic highly connected to the challenges and opportunities associated with digital technology.
The play provides valuable insights and raises awareness about the consequences of smartphone addiction. Our interactive story creates an environment where young audiences are more receptive to messages encouraging a healthier balance between online and offline life.
“Dude! Wa’s My Phone?” utilizes humour, drama, and relatable situations to engage learners in a contemplative exploration of the role of technology in our lives. It delves into its impact on relationships, social consciousness, and the intricacies and absurdities that arise in the digital age. The production addresses the contemporary issue of smartphone addiction, examining the following themes:
- Addiction and Dependence on Technology
- Friendship and Connection
- The Intersection of Comedy and Tragedy
- Identity and Sense of Self
- Spark Dialogue and Reflection
A story of loss, love and hope. A young girl is missing. A distraught mother searches for her and the brother is locked in the house to keep him safe. The community rallies together and the hilarious neighbour joins the search.
This show is dedicated to all the missing children in our country.
You hear music everywhere around you: on radio, on the streets, in church, but do you know how music is made? Have you ever attended a real concert? With this project, we bring jazz music to schools. Children experience South African jazz during a real concert. They get to meet and greet the musicians and their instruments. There is also room for any questions you always wanted to ask. This concert is not only great fun for children, but also for their teachers and parents. So let’s all swing to South African jazz classics and the latest songs.
Optionally the children can be prepared for this experience by a music introduction class by one of our music teachers.
As the Luthuli Museum we are thankful for the opportunity to have partnered with iSupport Music Business in conducting the fun and educational day for the children of Groutville. The programme allowed the museum an opportunity to uphold one of Chief Albert Luthuli’s values to enhance education. The programme proved to be a very fun filled day and was enjoyed as an extra mural activity for children as they learned a lot on this day.Luthuli Museum
Miem doesn’t want to take a bath, however the bathroom inhabitants would like to convince her otherwise… Bloeb! is an object theatre performance for ages 2-6 years old. This production underlines with the CAPS theme of personal hygiene and by means of artistic magic, we would like to make this topic more magical and fun for children.
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!
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.