(Pic courtesy of The Baxter Theatre website: Fiona Coyne as she appeared in her "As the Koekie Crumbles")Death of actress, playwright and author signifies a major loss to the South African performing arts industry. (Tribute by Caroline Smart)
The arts and entertainment world is still reeling from the shock of the news of the death yesterday of actress, playwright and author Fiona Coyne. This signifies a major loss to the South African performing arts industry. It also means that the country has lost a fine playwright who had the capacity to write good comedy material as well as scenes filled with drama or pathos.
“Fiona and I became friends when I selected her to present the South African version of The Weakest Link when it started here in 2003,” says Kee-Leen Irvine who was the executive producer of the series. “Watching Fiona in action was like watching poetry in motion. Working with her was a joy. Not only did she possess unbelievable talent and skill, but she was also extremely hardworking, dedicated and professional in the extreme. Despite exceptionally long hours and loads of pressure, Fiona always managed to maintain her poise and sense of humour - in Killer Stilettos, as well!
“As a person,” Irvine continues, “Fiona was small in stature but a giant in terms of her charm, personality, warmth, wit and compassion. She excelled at everything she put her mind to and boasted many achievements in her career. She was an example and an inspiration and her death is an enormous loss to the communication and entertainment industries.”
LotusFM Drama Producer and a film actress herself, Raeesa Mahomed appeared on the celebrity edition of Weakest Link in 2004. ”It seemed like Fiona was acting a part when trying to be cutting in her remarks on set,” she says. “As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, she was very normal and nice. I met her again in the Lotus studio where we had a friendly chat. So I think the “Anne Robinson” act was just that, an act.”
Regular visitors to the Witness Hilton Arts Festival will know Fiona Coyne’s work from the three plays which have already been presented at the event. Directed by close friend and colleague Ralph Lawson, As the Koekie Crumbles is about her life in Kenya, prompted by her time spent there between 1992 and 1996. She was passionate about conservation and her concern for wildlife saw her working for The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organisation that rears and rehabilitates orphaned elephants and black rhino to the wild.
Another play, Dearly Beloved, this time starring Ralph Lawson, also appeared at the Hilton festival and, in 2001, her Glass Roots was chosen as the flagship production. Directed by Roy Sergeant, it featured a fine performance by Diane Wilson and went on to win two Vita awards and a Fleur du Cap award.
Sue Clarence, director of the Witness Hilton Arts Festival, says: “I really thought her Kenya play was superb. I am a great admirer of her plays. They reflect her incisive mind, sense of humour and compassion for others. She is a great loss to the South African theatrical and literary worlds. I once spent the most wonderful evening at Ralph Lawson’s home in Muizenburg in her company – it was one of those dinner parties that will forever remain etched in my memory.”
A communications specialist, Fiona Coyne was a full-time member of the CAPAB Drama Company for seven years. She coached media and camera skills and served on the Theatre Advisory Panel for the National Arts Council. In 1999, she wrote and presented Fiona's Backpage for etv's magazine programme Tabloid and later published her first book, Who Moved My Ladder? The Working Woman's Guide to Success.
“Fiona was such a lively person – she was life itself and would hate anyone to grieve for her, she was very anti all that. I think she would have been the last person to make a fuss,” says actor and director Ralph Lawson who has been a close friend of Fiona Coyne’s for 25 years, since they worked together at CAPAB in 1985. ”I will just miss her sorely She was just about the best friend anyone could have. She was sympathetic and supportive and this was often belied by the persona thrust upon her in her role in Weakest Link. This wasn’t her character at all.
“I saw her just a week or two ago and everything was rosy,” he adds. “As far as anyone could tell she was in a good space. She was doing a lot of corporate work and team building at which she was very successful. Her psychology degree gave her a strong advantage in this field. She didn’t have a vast circle of friends but a very close-knit one and she was always totally selfless and supportive. We will feel her loss very, very keenly.” – Caroline Smart
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