(The cover of “Hinterland” by Duncan
Buwalda. Directed by Caroline Smart, the play will run at the Auto &
General Theatre on the Square in April next year)
Junkets Publisher
is a small independent not-for-profit publishing house specialising in
publishing high-quality low-cost books of mainly new South African plays, thereby
building up a valuable library of our dramatic heritage.
To date, Junkets
have published 30 individual plays in The Playscript Series. Among the playwrights
we have published are Omphile Molusi; Nadia Davids; Juliet Jenkin; Rajesh Gopie;
Malika Ndlovu; Fatima Dike; Jonathan Khumbulani Nkala; Mike van Graan; Ashraf
Johaardien; Bulelani Mabutyana; Neil Coppen; Phillip M Dikotla; Sinethemba
Twani; Anele Rusi; Khayelihle Dom Gumede; Philip Rademeyer and Duncan Buwalda.
Junnkets have also
published six anthologies of plays in The
Collected Series. Included in this series is The Magnet Theatre ‘Migration’
Plays, two of which are in isiXhosa, directed by Mandla Mbothwe. Four other
collections are designed for school use, and include the following writers: M
Cassiem D’arcy; Barry Morgan; Margaret Clough; Monti Jola; M Andries Phukuntsi;
Ongezwa Mbele; Zakes Mda; Motshabi Tyelele; Masitha Hoeane and Sibusiso Mamba.
In an attempt to
focus on the rich storytelling heritage of South Africa, last year Junkets
Publisher put out a call for short plays that were stage adaptations of African
folktales suitable for performance or rehearsed reading in the upper Grades of
the primary school and the lower Grades of the high school.
Some 37 plays were
submitted. The entire process of compiling (reading, assessing, selecting,
discussing) was done using pseudonyms: apart from plays they may have written
and submitted themselves, the co-compilers did not know who had written which
plays until the entire process was completed.
The quality of the
submissions persuaded the compilers that there was material good enough for two
volumes. Junkets Publisher will now publish the two volumes, with 12 plays in
each volume. African Folktales Onstage! 1 & 2 will appear at the same time
at the end of this year, 2014, or early in 2015.
Included in these 24
plays are two written by Durban playwright Clinton Marius: Going … Going … and Our
Stories.
These two volumes
will prove valuable to everyone involved in drama, theatre arts, and performing
arts in all schools and teacher-training institutions. School libraries,
university libraries and public libraries will be very interested to acquire
them.
To help this
valuable project, visit https:// www.thundafund.com/junkets
Should eventual funding
through Thundafund allow it, we hope to print a large number of copies for free
distribution to under-resourced schools, among whom the books will find a ready
appreciation.
For more
information contact Robin Malan of Junkets Publisher on 021 448 7186 or 076 169
2789 or email: info.junkets@iafrica.com
or visit www.junkets.co.za
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