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Antony Sher and John Kani to play Prospero and Caliban in South African Tempest, a collaboration between the Baxter Theatre Centre and the Royal Shakespeare Company
A new production of William Shakespeare's magical last play, The Tempest, a collaboration between The Baxter Theatre Centre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, is set to be a highlight of Cape Town’s bumper Summer season, when it opens at the Baxter Theatre from January 15 until February 6, 2009.
Janice Honeyman will direct multiple award-winning actors Sir Antony Sher as Prospero and John Kani as Caliban. The three foremost South African theatre blue-bloods bring two of the country’s most celebrated actors on stage together for the first time.
This unique production is filled with African ritual, music and dance and will feature a totally South African cast which will be announced at a later stage.
After its world premier at the Baxter Theatre, the production will transfer to the UK for a run at the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre in Statford-upon-Avon from February 14 to March 14, 2009.
Honeyman, who previously directed Sher in the acclaimed 1986 RSC production of Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye, and Kani in his play Nothing But the Truth, explains how it all came about. “Tony (Sher) and I sat around a barbeque one mid-summer evening in 2000 in London, and I broached my "African" Tempest to him. It's our play! It's African! It explores colonialism, paternalism, the master/servant relationship, corruption - trickery and plotting - reconciliation and forgiveness, and most of all the appropriation, not only of land, but also of cultural and religious beliefs! Doesn't that sound like home? Add to that, indigenous African music and the astounding visual images that are traditionally African and we can give The Tempest a terrifically exciting interpretation. The mid-summer night was blue and flashing with ideas and electricity. We had to do this!”
No stranger to Shakespeare, she has directed over 12 productions of his works which include Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice (both which she has directed three times) , Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, A Comedy of Errors, Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth.
This is more than a homecoming for RSC Associate Artist, Sher. He said: “The director, Janice Honeyman and I have been discussing this production for several years and I’m thrilled that the RSC is now making it happen, along with the Baxter, which is the leading theatre in Cape Town (my birthplace) and arguably in the whole of South Africa. In Shakespeare’s time, witchcraft and magic were part of society, but this is no longer true in the modern world, except in certain places. Our plan is to use African ritual to release the magic in the play. From a personal point of view, I’m extremely pleased to be working with Janice Honeyman again. She directed me in the RSC production of Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye. It’s also been a lifelong ambition of mine to be onstage with the legendary South African actor John Kani. So this feels like all my dreams coming true.”
Knighted for his services for acting and writing, and an RSC Associate Artist,Antony Sher first worked for the RSC in 1982. His many roles for the company have included his award winning performance in Richard III as well as the title roles in Tamburlaine, Cyrano de Bergerac and Macbeth. He played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Iago in Othello with Sello Maake Ka-Ncube in the title roe. In 2005 he directed Fraser Grace’s play Breakfast with Mugabe for the RSC, and his own play The Giant which recently premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in London. He played Disraeli in the film, Mrs Brown alongside Judi Dench. His other credits include Stanleyand Primo for the National Theatre, both of which transferred to Broadway and both won major awards. Antony Sher's books include the memoirs Woza Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus in South Africa, (co-written with his partner, the director Gregory Doran in 1997), Year of the King (1985) and his auto-biography Beside Myself (2002). He last performed at the Baxter Theatre Centre in January 2005 when his one man show, Primo sold out before it opened, and for which he won the Fleur du Cap best solo performance Award.
Triple honourary doctrate recipient, Kani, feels the same. “What a pleasure,” he says. “I have the chance to make theatre with my dear friends Mannie, Janice and Tony and get to work with the Baxter and the RSC again.”
Kani played Claudius in the Baxter Theatre Centre’s production of Hamlet which traveled to the RSC’s Complete Works Festival in 2006, where it played to sold-out houses and five-star reviews.
Kani believes the resonance of Shakespeare for South African audiences is crucial: “We have a history of colonisation by the British. Through missionaries at schools, we were taught to speak good English, the Queen’s language. Why Shakespeare is relevant to us as Africans is that he tells stories of great kingdoms, great wars and battles, great love stories, stories of hatred, good vs. evil, mythology. These things make up the African culture. What makes Shakespeare’s work classic is that it still has relevance today in African society.”
RSC Artistic Director Michael Boydsaid: “Baxter Theatre gave us one of our opening shows in the RSC's Complete Works Festival with Janet Suzman's production of Hamlet coming to Stratford-upon-Avon in 2006. I am delighted that we have this opportunity to work with them even more closely. This project is an example of the international collaborations that were seeded in the Festival which are still bearing fruit for us as a company, making us much more in tune with theatre making around the world than ever before.”
Mannie Manim, CEO and Director of the Baxter Theatre Centre, is equally proud of the collaboration. “To be working with the RSC again, and to be part of originating and co-creating with them, one of Shakespeare’s perennial favourites goes to the core of our vision and ethos. This historic creative partnership, with a production of this magnitude, is great news for us at the Baxter, Cape Town and whole of South Africa. It really is great news for this city, South Africa, Africa, England and theatre worldwide.”
Manim joins the creative team as lighting designer; Illka Louw is responsible for design; musical direction, composition and sound design by Neo Mayunga and Jannie Younge is the puppet maker. The RSC's Lyn Darnley, Head of Text and Voice, will work with the company in South Africa.
The Tempest will run at the Baxter Theatre from January 15 to Feburary 6 before it transfers to the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre in Stratford.-upon-Avon from February 14 to March 14, 2009.
THE BRETT GOLDIN AWARD
Brett Goldin, a young actor, was to play Guildenstern in Baxter’s production of Hamlet in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2006. Brett and a friend were tragically murdered just days before the company’s journey to the UK.
Antony Sher kickstarted a bursary fund called The Brett Goldin Award with the Baxter Theatre Centre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Actors’ Centre immediately after the murders in 2006. The award offers apprenticeships with the RSC for young actors.
Additional information
Biographies
Antony Sher
Knighted for his services for acting and writing, RSC Associate Artist,Antony Sher first worked for the RSC in 1982. His many roles for the company have his award winning performance in Richard II as well as the title roles in Tamburlaine, Cyrano de Bergerac and Macbeth. He played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Iago in Othello with Sello Maake Ka-Ncube in the title roe. In 2005 he directed Fraser Grace’s play Breakfast with Mugabe for the RSC. His own play The Giant recently premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in London. Antony played Disraeli in the film Mrs Brown alongside Judi Dench. His other credits include Stanley and Primo for the National Theatre, both of which transferred to Broadway and both won major awards. Antony Sher's books include the memoirs Woza Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus in South Africa, (co-written with his partner, the director Gregory Doran in 1997), Year of the King (1985) and his auto-biography, Beside Myself (2002). He last performed at the Baxter Theatre Centre in January 2005 when his one man show, Primo sold out before it opened, and for which he won the Fleur du Cap best solo performance award.
John Kani
John Kani is an internationally recognised, multiple award-winning actor, director and playwright. His impressive list of theatre credits includes Driving Miss Daisy, Othello, The Blood Knot, The Island, Waiting for Godot, Playland, Duet for One, Sizwe Banzi is Dead and My Children! My Africa! Several of these productions and many others have been performed to audiences across the world. The Island, which won the Toronto Theatre Award 2001 for Best Production, was co-written by John, Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona – the same team also wrote Sizwe Banzi is Dead. John won the Best Actor Tony award on Broadway for his performances in these plays.
In 2004 he performed in the Greek classic Antigone at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and then at Baxter Theatre Centre. In April/May 2006 he performed to great acclaim in Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival, as well as at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown (2005) and the Baxter Theatre Centre. His films include The Wild Geese, The Grass is Singing, Marigolds in August, Victims of Apartheid, An American Dream, A Dry White Season, Sarafina and Saturday Night at the Palace, for which he won a Taormina Golden Award at the Milan International Film Festival. He also acted in Kini and Adams, Ghost and the Darkness, The Tichbourne Claimant and The Final Solution. As director his credits include Goree and Blues Africa Café by Matsamela Manaka, Kagoos by Kessie Govender and The Meeting by Jeff Stetson. His own play Nothing but the Truth won Fleur du Cap Awards for Best Actor for himself and Best New South African Play in 2002. The play enjoyed successful seasons in the USA and Australia. In 1993 he received a special Obie Award inNew York for his extraordinary contribution to theatre.
John’s accolades for his contribution to South Africa and culture include The Avanti Hall of Fame Award; a National African Federation Chamber of Commerce Merit Award; the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellowship Award; an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Durban, Westville; an Honorary Doctorate of Literature from Rhodes University; the 2000 Hiroshima Renaissance Merit Award for Peace in Stockholm; the African Renaissance Merit Award for his contribution to the development of the African Film Industry; a Titan of the Century Award by Tribute Magazine’s Black Business Forum for the Performing Artist of the Past Century; the 2003 SAB Leadership and Service Award; and the Best Actor in a Film in 10 years of Freedom Award. John is a trustee of The Market Theatre Foundation and Chairman of the ApartheidMuseum. Most recently he received his third Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cape Town for Literature.
Janice Honeyman, Director
Janice Honeyman has had a prolific and successful career as a director. In 2002 she was nominated for the Best Director Award in the Fleur du Cap Theatre awards and won an FNB Vita award in the same category for The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
A year later, she won the Fleur du Cap award for Best Director for Nothing but the Truth and Vatmaar. Janice has directed Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye with Antony Sher and Estelle Kohler for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Madiba Magic at the Baxter Theatre Centre. She also directed Freedom Too, a Gala Concert at the Royal Festival Hall, as part of the Celebrate South Africa Festival.
In 2005 she received a Best Director Fleur du Cap award for Oom Wanja/Uncle Vanja. In 2005 she directed Twaalfde Nag and Exits and Entrances. In 2006 she directed the world premiere of Athol Fugard’s play, Booitjie and the Oubaas, which was raised by audiences and media alike, as well as the Baxter Play>Ground performed reading of Shirley, Goodness and Mercy. Janice had Johannesburg audiences in stitches with her festive pantomime, Aladdin, before directing the offbeat nativity play, Starbrite.
Last year she directed the full-scale world premiere of Chris van Wyk’s Shirley, Goodness and Mercy which won three Naledi awards, Patrick Shanley’s Doubt and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Baxter Theatre Centre, the Market Theatre and the State Theatre.
Ilke Louw, Design
Ilke Louw holds a National Diploma in Fashion Design (with distinction) from the Cape Technikon as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Theatre Design (also with distinction), from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.
She lectures in the history of costume for UCT Drama undergraduates. In 2006 she presented a costume design workshop with post-graduate Theatre Design students at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Earlier this year she presented a design workshop to UCT Drama Masters students.
Here freelance set and costume design include Chess – The Musical, Die Ballade van Koos Sas, The Kramer Pietersen Songbook, Hair- The musical, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Ghoema, Masque –The Opera, Fire Raisers, Antigone, Macbeth and District Six- The Musical.
She is the 2006 Best Costume Design Fleur du Cap winner for Twelfth Night and was nominated for in the same category for Ghoema. Hair – The musical received a Best Costume nomination this year. In 2007 she was the Curator of Babel Exhibit at SCENOFEST in Prague where she exhibited designs at the Prague Quadrennial of Scenography.
Mannie Manim, Lighting
Mannie Manim is Director and CEO of the Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town, as well as a lighting designer with an international reputation. In recent times he lit The Magic Flute and A Christmas Carol at the Young Vic, London, in December 2007, Sizwe Banzi is Dead at the National Theatre, London (March 2007). Nothing But the Truth at the Hampstead Theatre, London (2006), the Lincoln Center Theatre in New York, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and the National Theatre of Namibia in Windhoek, The Real Thing at the Strindberg Intima Theatre in Stockholm, Janet Suzman’s production of Hamlet in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Porgy and Bess in Umëa, Sweden. Other lighting designs in recent years include The Island at the National Theatre and the Old Vic in London, in Toronto, at the Kennedy Center in Washington and at BAM in New York; Carmen and The Mysteries at Wilton’s Music Hall in London, at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, at the International Theatre Festival in Perth, at the Queen’s Theatre in London and at the World Stage Festival in Toronto, and Sorrows and Rejoicings at the Tricycle Theatre in London.
In 1980 he received the Shirley Moss Award for the Greatest Practical and Technical Contribution to Theatre in South Africa, and in 1981 he received the South African Institute of Theatre Technology Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Theatre Technician, Administrator and Lighting Designer. In 1985 Mannie received the first Vita Award for the Most Enterprising Producer. He received the Vita Best Original Lighting Award ten times. In December 1990 Mannie was made Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres by the French Government and in 1996 he was awarded a gold medal for Theatre Development from the South African Academy of Arts and Science.
In 2004 he was awarded the Naledi Lifetime Achievement Award by the Theatre Managements of South Africa. He is co-founder of the Market Theatre. |
