Focusing on whales, this high energy physical theatre show explores the comparisons between whales and humans and lets us in on some of the secrets of these mysterious creatures of the deep.
The wondering whale watchers are on a quest to be like whales as they swirl their audience into an exciting adventure of juggling to catch food, bubbling underwater music and receiving e-whales from a whale called Wonder.
They explore the relationship between whales and people through the ages and look at how these beautiful creatures communicate, what they eat and how they form part of the ecology of the planet.
Through this fun adventure for the whole family the wondering whale watchers discover a new way forward for the relationship between whales and people.
This show was originally created by Jungle Theatre Company in 2001.
Did you know that troubled children who have either witnessed or experienced abuse are far more likely to mistreat animals? It is hard to understand why any child would mistreat an animal. This show provides a platform for discussion which can lead to remedies as the reasons cover other problems. It also shows children how to treat and love animals.
This entertaining, interactive and informative show teaches children about how important it is to respect animals as they fall in love with our endearing puppet, Wafi.
The child is thrown out of home and meets a stray dog, Wafi, who is in the same predicament. The two form a special friendship and discover new ways to take care of each other. A villainous man, Mr Jacobs, takes them in and puts them to work stealing for him to cover their food and board. They attend an Animal Welfare meeting at the local community centre to steal as much as they can, but end up getting so involved in all that is being taught that they forget to steal. Mr Jacobs is so angry that he accompanies them to the next meeting.
The show looks at the development of these relationships and compares the various attitudes towards domestic animal welfare.
With songs, actions, interesting characters and an adorable life like dog puppet, this show has proven to be a hit with all who see it and the children fall in love with Wafi.
Do you know why trees are important and do our children know? This show teaches, in a fun way, about why trees are important, what they give us and why they should be conserved. This hilarious show is the perfect, ‘fun’draiser!
Our story takes place in a small, tranquil village where the villagers are working hard to beautify the area in preparation for a wedding ceremony. However, peace is disturbed and the ceremony disrupted, when greedy developers swoop in and begin to wreak havoc on the land. As more trees are chopped down and building continues, Mother Nature has to step in and through the voice of an old man, a great magical tree, airs her concerns to the developers and encourages them to change their ways before it is too late…The Tree Show and workshop program celebrates indigenous trees as a vital part of our existence. This fun and interactive show uses song, dance and drama to engage the audience in a lively and interactive storytelling experience. We look at current threats that trees face in the light of unsustainable development and conclude that we, as custodians of the planet, should work together with nature instead of against her.
The show is completed with an interactive tree planting workshop at the venue where the show is performed. Children from the audience become involved in the planting of an indigenous tree that they will then be able to watch and nurture as it grows over the years. This tree stands as a reminder of the importance of trees to life on the planet.
Did you know that over the past decades man has done some terrible things to elephants? Is this a history we want our children to read about or do we want to show them some good news about our wild animals and diversity?
The Eden to Addo Corridor have to re-established the ancient elephant migration paths between the Garden Route National Park, The Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site and the Addo Elephant National Park and restore ecological balance of the region. They commissioned The Great Eden to Addo Adventure to depict the story. This is perfect as an educational live theatre masterpiece as well as a great vehicle for fundraising drives.
The Great Eden to Addo Adventure follows a brave young girl who leads an escaped circus elephant on an epic adventure from Knysna to the Addo Elephant Park. En route they encounter a leopard, a sunbird, a dung beetle and a tortoise who each teach the travelers about the challenges they face. Together they find ways to work together to overcome these challenges.
This fun, entertaining and interactive show uses puppetry, mime, comedy, song and dance to convey its message and is followed by an interactive drama workshop for the whole audience.
This show uses the innovative Lunchbox Theatre style to highlight biodiversity and the need for humans, plants and animals to live in harmony.
Children who suffer at the hands of adults often have no idea that they have rights and what better way to teach them through a story?
Vulnerable children and good adults are mesmerized by this adventure. They become emotionally involved as they watch the ‘baddies’ denying basic rights to the children they have taken prisoner. Being part of this highly interactive show, makes them feel:
excited when Themba is told he must find his Inheritance,
empathy when he is captured and used as a slave with other children,
appalled by the greedy gluttons who scoff at the notion that everyone is equal in South Africa, even children,
warmed by the loving guidance of the guardian angel,
repulsed by the anti-heroes,
shocked when Themba stands up for his rights and his fellow prisoners,
angry when the bad guy tries to hurt Themba,
protective of the children when they escape,
and delighted when Themba triumphs and the rights of children which is their real inheritance are indelibly imprinted in their minds and emotions.
The children in the story triumph over the abusers in the end which gives them the courage they need to speak out. The more children who can see this show the better.
iLifa was inspired by the 40th anniversary of the National Arts Festival and the 20th anniversary of our Democratic Constitution.
Rubbish Wrap uses waste as a resource for the imagination. A talking tree’s leaves make homes for worms. A bottle top shark sings “Free the Sea!!” A magical musical recycling machine lets some surprises emerge at the other end.
Rubbish Wrap is a play about the creation and cycle of waste and the transfer of energy in nature’s own recycling system from one organism to another through the food chain. It contrasts the chain of consumption from raw materials to the dump sites of the industrialised world. The play enables learners to break the consumption and waste cycle through participation, fostering efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Rubbish Wrap is 45 minutes in duration and is suitable for Grades 4-9.
Jungle Theatre Company was commissioned by City of Cape Town Environmental Resource Management Department to create a short 20 min play to complement the waste chapter in The Smart Living Handbook in 2008. Rubbish Wrap was toured to schools as part of the Youth Environmental Schools’ (YES) Waste Wise Week in 2008 and 2009 and was accompanied by a 45 minute workshop. For the YES Blue Flag beach programme in March 2009, which focussed on marine and coastal pollution, the play and workshop were combined in a 45 minute interactive play and returned to the Blue Flag campaign in 2011.
Currently starring:
Unathi Speelman; Mfundo Hashe and Vincent Meyburgh.
‘The Lost Couple’ is a playful, pop-up mask performance created and performed by Kyla Davis and well-known physical theatre practitioner and ex-Cirque de Soleil performer Daniel Buckland. Working in gigantic masks and relying on their physical improvisation abilities and audience interaction they present Uma and Sebastian: two larger-than-life characters who, in going about their very conventional lives and mostly conservative business, increasingly and inexplicably find themselves ill at ease and lost for words in strange and foreign places that, for them, are difficult to fathom. Uma likes to fuss. Sebastian likes to be precise. The result is both eerie and hilarious. Kyla and Daniel were recently joined by Roberto Pombo, fresh from his intensive training at international clown school Helikos. With Roberto in tow as co-conspirator, ‘The Lost Couple’ have introduced 4 new characters to their family, including over-excitable Derek and big, clumsy Mo who plays the musical saw. Together, these 6 huge characters will inhabit various places and spaces around your school, interacting with staff and students to utterly compelling effect.
‘The Lost Couple’ recently added a Gaggle of Grannies to their repertoire. Twelve adorable and wildly embarrassing Oumas take to the streets packing Zimmer frames, knitting, tog bags and wine for their Grand Day Out. Watch out! Don’t let them catch you. They gotta lotta love to give and you might not make it out of their clutches alive…
‘The Lost Couple’ and their Renegade Oumas are developing a near cult status of their own and have so far been seen at Afrika Burn 2012 and 2013; The National Arts Festival in 2013 and 2014; The WITS WALE Festival in 2013; Sacred Arts Festival @ Sacred Heart College in 2013 and more recently, the Bodibe Children’s Festival in Bodibe in 2014.
Sometimes, in war, famine and radical times of change, there is someone still standing. And sometimes, they are not alone. Amongst the dunes of post-2050 earth a mirage of humanity glimmers in the heat.
Directed by Helen Iskander (Nominated ABSA ‘Best Director 2009’ award at the KKNK, for The Famished Road). Designed by Jemma Kahn and performed by Kyla Davis (ImpACT award winner for Theatre 2010) and Mongi Mthombeni (NAF Golden Ovation Award Winners for The Butcher Brothers (2010) and Naledi Award winners for Best Cutting Edge production 2010) this collaboration of award-winning artists brings you an exquisitely visual new play of epic proportions.
Planet Bwas originally performed as part of the SA Devised Season at WITS Theatre in 2011 and subsequently went on to tour to the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown 2011 and the Out The Box Festival, Cape Town 2011 (where it received a special mention for Excellence at the Handspring Awards.) The play also formed part of the official cultural programme at the international COP17 conference on climate change in Durban (Dec 2011).
In a place not so far away in a world, not all together different from our own, live two men. Separated only by a lake, the two are completely unaware of the others existence. Till one day, the water disappears and the two are forced to work together to find a way to save the lake and themselves. With clowning, physical theatre and puppetry, ZikkaZimba and Dark Laugh successfully come together again to share a beautiful story of overcoming obstacles and coming together. Fun, funny and heartfelt, Lake will leave you salivating for more.
Skillfully crafted by Daniel Buckland, Ryan Dittman, seen in Stranger Things and Othello, and Jaques de Silva, 2011 Impact Award winner seen in The Butcher Brothers, which won the 2010 Standard Bank Ovation Award and 2011 Naledi Award. The two bring to life an epic family adventure.
It’s Valentines day, the staff are all too ready to check out, the chef runs the kitchen like an out of service U boat and the stock is disappearing like textbooks in Limpopo. With his wife on his case like Gordon Ramsey on a dirty kitchen, Bronwyn, the restaurant owner is on the verge of hanging up the closed sign for good. And then things get strange…
Skilfully crafted by Jaques de Silva, Ryan Dittmann creates the world of a restaurant and kitchen while seamlessly transforming from character to character to unveil this wacky story.