KNOWING YOU, KNOWING ME

(Hamish Kyd)

Presented by St. Theresa’s R.C. Primary, Knowing You … Knowing Me is a poignant comedy written and performed by Hamish Kyd which looks at an important chapter in the life of Lenny Stalk. His son, Otis Stalk, is a final year fashion design student. His dad, Lenny, is a welder and self-made man. When Otis decides it is time to come out of the closet, Lenny does all he can to “un-gay” his son.

artSMart reviewed the production at its original presentation and described it as a “poignant comedy of a practical welder father trying to make sense of his fashionably creative son; Hamish’s distinctive sense of humour and empathy for the human spirit is very much to the fore.”

Hamish Kyd has penned, produced, directed and acted in several theatre works over the past 30 years, adding to these his debut novel Charlie, which was published in January 2008. In the latter half of the 1980s, Kyd became active in community theatre in Newlands East, training children and producing shows.

His musical revue The Motown Story enjoyed success at the Playhouse in 1988. Subsequent successes bearing his imprint at the Playhouse include Southern Groove and as co-creator for Taxi Jam, which won a Vita Award for Best New SA Musical Play. His musical play Jimbo (first staged in 1993) was restaged by public demand in 2006 and 2009 and had a successful run at the Playhouse Drama.

Kyd has developed a successful stand-up comedy character called Professor Gopal; has many other theatre credits under his belt and has also worked extensively in corporate theatre around South Africa. He has scripted two episodes for the television sitcom Family Bonds (translated into Zulu) flighted on SABC2. Besides acting in radio drama, he has also scripted five radio dramas for Lotus FM: Muti, Charlie, The Palace, Granny's Home and Knowing you…Knowing me.

In 2011 Hamish published his second novel Muti! and has recently completed his third (Knowing You…Knowing Me).

Hamish was honoured by the Ethekwini Municipality in 2009 with a Living Legend Award for his contribution to Arts and Culture in KZN.

Knowing You … Knowing Me is directed by Leveen Kyd. Musical direction is by Dawn Gaillard with musical arrangements by Chris Ruiters. It runs in the Playhouse Drama from July 23 to 28 at 19h30. Booking is at Computicket.