Khokho’s Suitcase

The age old African art of storytelling comes alive on stage with this original production of traditional African animal folklore tales. Through comedy, song, dance and drama these stories are made relevant to a contemporary audience as they bring their ‘lessons’ into a modern day context.

Our story begins with a family preparing for a feast. Khokho (great grandfather) is returning home after a long journey of collecting stories from around Africa and his granddaughter and great granddaughter are hard at work readying themselves for his arrival.

We join Khokho on the last leg of his journey and discover that a villain, who wishes to steal his suitcase of stories, is secretly pursuing him.

Along the way Khokho rests often, as he is tired from his long journey, and opens his suitcase to recount the many stories that he has gathered. These stories come to life using physical theatre and the creative use of props and costumes.

We are constantly aware of the villain in the background and are humored by Khokho’s ability to unwittingly ward him off.

The themes of the stories are linked to incidents that we see occurring back home between mother and daughter. They tackle issues such as respect, patience and greed.

Khokho’s final story is told after his well-celebrated arrival back home. He cleverly incorporates local townsfolk and his family to enact the story. Then much to the villain’s surprise Khokho involves him in the story and through this the villain learns about sharing and the power of storytelling.

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.

A girl discovers a world under the sea: Riding on the spotty whale shark, chatting with the clever hammer head and singing with the colourful cat shark. Danger lurks around every corner and she learns some secrets of the deep.

Partly based on Lesley Rochat’s ‘Sue Finds Happy Eddie the Shy Shark’, Shark Dreams tells a local tale about a girl whose love for the sea takes her on a magical shark adventure. Shark Dreams showcases the many different types of sharks and educates young people about ocean and beach safety including: the role of the shark spotters in protecting beach goers; the meaning of the flags on the beaches; critical safety tips when swimming and using the beach. The play creates understanding and awareness about the important role sharks play in marine ecosystems and the food chain and dispels myths created through misinformation and hearsay.

Shark Dreams is 45 minutes in duration and is suitable for Grades 4-9

“Exquisite costumes and brilliant acting skills.” Strand Moslem School

Shark Dreams was created in 2009 in conjunction with the Save Our Seas Shark Centre for City of Cape Town’s Environmental Resource Management Department’s Youth Environmental Schools (YES) programme. Shark Dreams was rolled out as an outreach programme to schools in Cape Town’s south peninsula; performed for World Environment Week and Marine Week in 2009 as well as the Blue Flag Beach campaign in 2010. The AfriOceans Conservation Alliance has also provided funding for community and schools outreach performances. Shark Dreams has also been performed at the Marine and Coastal Educators Network conferences where it has received a standing ovation.

Currently starring:
Nimray Kruger, Unathi Speelman, Simric Yarrow and Vincent Meyburgh.

Moya is a young rising soccer star, his goal scoring record has made him a hero in his township. He has an asthma attack during training and ends up in hospital, where Moya has a nightmare about a Death Monster who feeds on smoke and pollution. Unable to play soccer, Moya is dropped from his team and loses the affections of his bling-bling girlfriend. Determined to find out the causes of his misfortune, Moya embarks on a journey of discovery into the causes of air pollution and the threat of climate change. He finds ways to heal himself and his environment and destroys the Death Monster.

Moya meets different characters who give him advice and information. He confronts industrial giants and meets the municipal air quality management team and finds out about local by-laws. With a new outlook on life he finds a new sustainable lifestyle.

Moya – The Air We Breathe is 45 minutes in duration and is suitable for Grades 8-12. An accompanying drama skills workshop of 45 minutes is also available. It was developed for a high school audience for the City of Cape Town’s Environmental Resource Management Department and was performed at 10 high schools for Air Quality Week in February 2008. Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning commissioned a reduced version for their 2 Precious 2 Pollute Campaign in 2010.

Currently starring: Unathi Speelman, Nelson Chileshe Musonda, Mfundo Hashe and Ntombifuthi Mkhasibe.

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.

Prodigal is an entertaining, moving, absorbing one-man play telling a universally accessible story of loss, love and guilt. It is marked by a powerhouse performance from Tim Redpath, incorporating elements of mime and physical comedy. Written by Lorraine Knox and directed by Dani Marais.

Luke is a poor farmer’s son who rejects family and home in a gamble for quick cash and prestige in the seedy underbelly of Jo’burg. In this coming of age tale Tim Redpath’s split-second character changes take us on a rollercoaster ride of rebellion, pride and sacrifice.

Prodigal played an extended run to packed houses and standing ovations at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in July 2006 and 2007. In 2009 Prodigal had successful runs in Oxford and London and at the Edinburgh Festival where Tim won the Sweet Venue Best Actor Award for his performance. In March 2010 Prodigal returned to Oxford for a run at the Oxfringe Festival.

A deftly plotted modern classic, Prodigal follows the tale of a young Eastern Cape farm boy as he decides to leave home and seek his fortune in the fast-paced city of Jo’burg, South Africa. Snappy dialogue, split-second character changes, strong physical acting and innovative directing enables one man to bring a fantastic cast of characters to life. From a story-telling Xhosa woman to a morally dubious Middle-Eastern restaurant owner to an opinionated professor to a shady gangster, Redpath’s vocal and physical dexterity takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride of pride, prejudice and sacrifice.

Despite being predominantly French-speaking, Cameroonian audiences were charmed and entertained by the new South African children’s musical Snake Magic when it was staged in Yaounde recently as part of an international arts festival.

“It is a work that is able to transcend language through its use of puppetry and music and seems to enjoy a universal appeal,” says its creator, well-known Cape musician Heather Mac.

Adapted from an African legend, the play was selected for staging at the African Festival of Children’s Theatre in Cameroon last month. “As only 20% of the population speaks English, we were concerned that some of the children may not understand the narrative. I was delighted to be proven wrong,” she laughs.

Mac relates that Cameroonian children became so emotionally engaged with the story, that during one performance in a scene when one of the characters is frightened, audience members stood up and told her how sorry they were. “Some even gave the cast member fruit and snacks to help her! It brought tears to my eyes that in country where poverty surrounds everybody, such generosity exists.”

Snake Magic features Deon Nebulane, Lindelwa Kisana and David Muller is currently on at the Baxter’s Sanlam Studio at 11am until December 20.

During its first run at the Kalk Bay Theatre earlier this year, critics were extremely complimentary about the way Mac has breathed life into this uniquely African tale. “We’ve basically integrated a vibrant musical score with an adventure-filled story and in the process we’ve created the ideal holiday fare for the whole family,” she says.

Mac and the cast feel the show has grown since its first staging and believe its new incarnation and has been polished in such a way that it gets children in the audience to really engage with its underlying message. “Snake Magic tackles many different current issues that face children today, namely bullying, jealousy, gender conflict, animal rights and conservation,” says Heather.

“We hope that the play is one of the ways we can help nurture respect within children by highlighting the value of their environment, ‘mother earth’ and the importance of being kind, honest and caring within our family and our community.”

A Dog’s Life broaches the specific needs of domestic animals in terms of their day-to-day care through dance and tri-lingual song. The play delivers important messages about the practical aspects of animal welfare.

A Dog’s Life is 45 minutes long and suitable for Grades 1-3. An accompanying drama skills workshop is also available.

As a response to increasing concerns about the plight of urban domestic animals, Jungle Theatre Company developed A Dog’s Life, which was adopted by International Fund for Animal Welfare as part of their Companion Animal Programme. It was rolled out through twinning programme at the Baxter Theatre in 2006 – 2008 and toured communities in Soweto in 2007 and 2008. Recast in 2010 with 6 Laduma Jungle trainees A Dog’s Life was performed in 2010 Mdzananda Animal Clinic, Camp Footprints and other community events. In 2012 and 2013 the show went out on the road to schools and communities, including Paternoster, with IFAW and to Stellenbosch with Department of Agriculture. In 2014 it was rolled out as a twinning programme at the Baxter and another twinnings programme just took place this June 2017 at the Masque Theatre.