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Barney Simon 1932 - 1995 Remembering Barney Simon 1013 - - 16 19 AP MARRIL BARNEY SIMON 1932 - 1995 REMEMBERING BARNEY SIMON The Market Theatre’s first Artistic passed away in June 1995. He of the Market’s theatre complex, Director and one of South Africa’s was celebrated for his method of where aspirant playwrights could most courageous and innovative creating and developing original develop and stage their plays under playwrights and directors, Barney plays through a workshop process his superbly creative guidance.” Simon, firmly believed that culture of field research, improvisation could change society. Barney and collaborative writing, Barney, admired by his peers and Simon co-founded the Market sometimes with untrained actors a role model for younger theatre Theatre with Mannie Manim in or combinations of musicians, makers, would have turned 1974. The Market Theatre became professional actors and people 85 on 13 April 2017. In 2015 known as the ‘home of protest entirely new to the theatre. Artistic Director, James Ngcobo, theatre’, one of the few spaces that remembered Barney Simon’s practiced non-racialism. In a moving obituary Nadine legacy by reviving one of Barney’s Gordimer wrote for the classic plays called Cincinnati: Working under the racial Independent newspaper in July Scenes From the City Life directed segregation laws of apartheid 1995, “Simon was artistic director by Clive Mathibe. Clive Mathibe without state subsidies and under of the Market Theatre for virtually was mentored by one of Barney constant threat of arrest for staging all his life, producing his own Simon’s esteemed colleagues and controversial contemporary plays plays, international works, and longtime friend, Vanessa Cook. performed by multiracial casts adaptations of others’ stories - Can in front of multiracial audiences, Themba’s The Suit is one of them, The Market Theatre remembers Barney Simon remained the running in London now - and in the Barney Simon. Market Theatre’s Artistic Director last decade devoting enormous from its opening in 1976 until he energy to the Laboratory, part 2 3 MARKET THEATRE TAKES FRONT ROW SEATS IN WASHINGTON ARTIstIC DIRECTOR JAMES NGCOBO REFLECts ON the visibility of our theatre around the world, to give HIS TRIP TO WASHINGTON DC opportunities to younger South African artists that we are mentoring to go out there and interact with the “This was such an amazing moment for the Market world. Theatre to be invited by Georgetown University in Washington DC, to participate in their2017 World For the last three years I have been working with Mark Theatre Day Celebrations that were focused at looking Babych, the Artistic Director of the Hull Truck Theatre back at the genius writer Lorraine Hainsbury. Last year on the tour of The Suitcase, a tour that will see us take we staged A Raisin in the Sun at the Market Theatre as this play to eight cities in the UK, with performances at part of the Black History Month. theatres like The Everyman in Liverpool and Northern Stage in Newcastle. These are all the efforts that speak Washington D.C. has opened a platform for the revival to us telling stories in a universal space. of this piece, three productions from three different countries staged at Georgetown, in celebrating fifty Thanks to Professor Cynthia Schneider, the head of the premier of this work was such a delight. Global Laboratory in Washington D.C. for the beginning of a very exciting relationship between these two As the Artistic Director of the Market Theatre I am institutions. “James Ngcobo Artistic Director of The very passionate about resuscitating old international Market Theatre Foundation. relationships and developing new ones to create 4 5 REVIVING ITSOSENG IN 2017 FROM THE AUTHOR: Writing and performing Itsoseng township … the township that was a lonely process. The idea of never benefitted from democracy. making it a one-man show was It’s this isolation that I was trying to experiment with the idea of to capture, while at the same time isolation … isolation from the telling the story of a people that storytelling point of view, but also also played a role in removing from the idea of Itsoseng as an the Bophutswana government as isolated place. My attempt was a child of the Apartheid regime to make an audience feel the to pave a way for the new South loneliness of one actor on stage, Africa. It’s been eleven years since to get them to feel the isolation the birth of this play, and now of the township that is Itsoseng. it’s a teenager and taking a form When you drive from the town of of its own. I’m sure moving from Lichtenburg to Itsoseng, you pass a one hander to an ensemble a lot of farms, then villages, then comes with its own challenges. the township, Itsoseng. And even How do I approach it? How do I when you drive from the town of structure it? What’s my vision of Mafikeng to Itsoseng, you pass a it? What do I need? What do I lot of villages and farms, then the let go? and so forth. All that is an township, Itsoseng. It’s a township interesting journey of discovering enveloped by villages and farms. the new and fresh minting the old Almost like it doesn’t belong there. to shape a new form. I’m grateful Almost like it was just meant to to the Market Theatre for giving be De Hoop, a farm. Or perhaps a Itsoseng this new form. I always village, since the villages around believe that any story is open to are doing way better than Itsoseng. re-interpretation, in fact limitless interpretation, and that’s the It feels like most townships do beauty of storytelling. I think with better when they are surrounded every interpretation the storytellers by other townships. Not to say unearth new elements that gives that other townships don’t have the story a new vision, a fresher their own problems, they do. But voice that speaks to its current Itsoseng is worse. Thus, it feels like audience. I look forward to this an isolated township. The forgotten reinterpretation. 6 VENUE The Barney Simon DatES 7 April - 7 May 2017 TIME Tue - Sat 20:15 • Sun 15:15 #KasiLove #Itsoseng 7 GRIPPING PRODUCTIONS AT THE MARKET THEATRE STAGES SOPHIatOWN A taLE ABOUT TRIUMPH! VENUE “Sophiatown, the music, the John Kani drama…. Now 30 years later, it is DatES back, directed by Malcolm Purkey 31 March - 14 May 2017 who first wrote the script after six weeks of workshop. The young cast TIME never knew Sophiatown, but they Tue - Sat 20:00 capture both the laughter of the Sun 15:00 community and the desolation of the displaced” Jennifer de Klerk - The Saturday Star #Going back to Sophiatown…. 8 THE SUIT CAN THEmba SEASON Fans of author and playwright Can VENUE Themba can look forward to the Mannie Manim staging of his most famous work, The Suit, as the Market Theatre DatES celebrates his life and talent with 05 May - 04 June 2017 the Can Themba season. This year TIME marks 50 years since Can’s passing. Tue - Sat 20:15 In January the Market Theatre Sun 15:15 staged The House of Truth an autobiographical play about his life. The Suit is the most famous short story by Can Themba, the Drum magazine writer and apartheid rebel who died in Swaziland in 1968. It is set against the backdrop of forced removals in the 1950s under the Group Areas Act, and tells the story of Philemon who discovers his wife Matilda in bed with a lover. The man flees, leaving his suit behind. #TheSuit #CanThemba 9 ISITHUNZI 2016 ZwaKALA FEstIvaL WINNER VENUE We catchup with the Director of Ramolao Makhene #Isithunzi the 2016 Zwakala Festival DatES winner! 26 May - 18 June 2017 TIME Tue - Sat 20:15 Sun 15:15 LUTHANDO MNGOMEZULU Q: Was this your first time Q: How are you involved with directing a show? If not, please Drama for life? state the other shows you’ve A: I was doing my internship at directed. Drama for Life from the middle A: No this was not my first time of last year (July) to the directing, I have directed beginning of this year shows like The Cleaners written (February). I was interning by Sipho Zakwe (original version under the Drama for Life of Isithunzi) which played at Theatre Company as a director, the Joburg Theatre, Athol creative and facilitator. Fugard’s The Island which I am no longer with Drama for performed at Little Theatre, Life, but retain close UCT, Lara Foot’s Tshepang at acquaintances with them. I am the Rostrum Theatre, TUT, and currently working at SABC My Life is Rap by Sipho Zakwe 1’s Uzalo Season 3 as a Trainee which performed at Courtyard Director. Theatre, DUT. 10 Q: What are the problems if any, off and this is a huge step in the that you feel helped hone your right direction. directing skills? A: As a graduate from three Q: What does it mean to you universities, namely DUT, TUT professionally to have directed and UCT who majored in a Zwakala Festival winner? Directing, I was very fortunate A: Professionally, being a Zwakala to have been able to apply my festival winner means that my directing and scholarly career can finally start background to the work, blossoming and flourishing to using particular techniques its full potential. I can start and already developing a doing the work that I have directing eye and style. always dreamt about doing. Although this came as I can start spreading my wings an advantage, I also had my and reach for heights that I challenges.
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