NALEDI THEATRE AWARDS

Top entertainment, celebrity presenters and three new sponsors for Naledi Theatre Awards.

With the 2008 Naledi Theatre Awards taking place tomorrow night in Johannesburg, Executive Director, Dawn Lindberg is proud to announce the exciting line-up of entertainment and celebrity presenters plus the addition of three new sponsors for this year’s Naledi Theatre Awards.

The Naledi Theatre Awards, dynamically staged and produced by Dawn Lindberg, is now firmly entrenched as one of South Africa’s premier award events and celebrates its sixth year on April 19 2009 at 17h00 for 18h30 at the Drama Theatre, South African State Theatre, Pretoria.

The ceremony is once again open to the public and a limited number of tickets are available from Computicket at R200. (This includes the welcome cocktail party, the Award Ceremony, first-rate entertainment and the fun and festivity of an event ‘not-to-be-missed’).

“The Naledi’s always features highlights from shows that have been current in the year under review” says Lindberg “and this year is no exception.” Featured this year will be the cast of The Magic Flute, (director Mark Dornford-May) who are especially flying up from Cape Town for the Awards to perform the overture from The Magic Flute on marimbas.

“As well as performing the star of the show, Pauline Malefane will also be presenting with Kweku Amuah Mandela. Other entertainment highlights include I know him so well from Chess sung by Gina Shmukler and Anne-Marie Clulow; Beauty and the Beast sung by last year’s Naledi winner Zwai Bala and Anne-Marie Clulow; Sweet Transvestite from The Rocky Horror Show, performed by nominee Brendan van Rhyn; a rousing gumboot dance and the shebeen scene from Umoja; the recent hit at the Market Theatre, The Fat Black Women Sing and the internationally renowned African Children’s Choir, singing with Zwai Bala.

MC’s this year are the indubitably irrepressible and irreverent comedian Mark Banks, together with the young, sassy TV presenter, Sade Giliberti, best known for presenting on SABC1’s YOTV, as well as hosting the South African version of the dance reality competition So You Think You Can Dance.

The presenters for the various categories feature an array of well-known stage celebrities and past Naledi winners and include, amongst others, the ever-glamorous Angela Kilian, Ashley Dowds, Abigail Kubeka, Dorothy-Ann Gould, Craig Urbani, Lesego Motsepe, best known for her role as Letti Matabane in Isidingo, Kate Normington, Samantha Peo, Nqobile Sipamla, Rachel Tambo and Tamara Dey.

Three new sponsors have come on board: Nando’s, proving their ongoing support of the Arts, are sponsoring two categories: Best Comedy Performance (Male) and Best Comedy Performance (Female); Lidonga Holdings, (the chairman, businesswoman Connie Nkosi, is on the Naledi Board of Directors), is sponsoring the Best Production of a Straight Play and the SA Gold Coin Exchange, who are generously donating silver Mandela commemorative medallions for each of the winners, which they will receive with the stylish ‘star’ Naledi trophy made from recycled glass.

Other founding sponsors include Computicket, Wharfedale Pro, Matrix Sound, Wits Theatre and individuals, Christopher Seabrooke, Percy Tucker and Pieter Toerien. Distell is sponsoring the wine for the welcome cocktails while the State Theatre is very generously sponsoring the Theatre and the Welcome cocktails.

“We are thrilled to welcome the three new sponsors to the Naledi brand this year” said Lindberg, “and we remain grateful for the continued sponsorship from our other sponsors.”