(Roel
Twijnstra & Emma Durden)
Excellent
publication is an absolute must for anyone venturing into the challenging world
of theatre production. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Theatre
Production in South Africa, Skills and Inspirations
is written by Roel Twijnstra and Emma Durden. They describe it as “a user-friendly
introduction to the role of the theatre director and the concept of stage-craft
presented in a way that is easy to understand for those who are stepping into
the role of director for the first time, or those who feel that they need a
refresher course and new inspirations.”
This
excellent publication is an absolute must for anyone venturing into the
challenging world of theatre production. It’s virtually an academic course on
how to run everything from the initial creative ideas, casting and staging through
to marketing and publicity, funding applications and ticketing/box office
control. Positive feedback has already been received from young directors, university Drama Departments, schools and community
theatre groups.
The
soft-cover 251-page book contains extremely valuable input from well-known
theatre practitioners from all levels who share their wealth of experience. The
range covers everything from community theatre to professional theatre work as
well as industrial/corporate work.
Interviews
with producers include Nobulali Dangazele, Hayleigh Evans, Ntombi Gaza,
Mhlanguli George, Yvette Hardie, Bheki Khabela and Bhekani Shabalala, Julian Seleke
Mokoto, Jerry Pooe, Warona Seane, Jaco (Kosie) Smit and Steven Stead.
The
section of Interviews with Project and
Stage Managers features Nosipho Bophela, Carl Johnson and Peter Taylor
while Environment around the Producer
features Elton Mjanana, Monde Ngonyama, Jay Pather, Peter Tshabalala and
Bridget van Oerle.
The
individual sections offer valuable telling comments:
Yvette
Hardie talks about needing more outreach projects: “We need to reclaim spaces
and create pop-up spaces, public art festivals and theatre in people’s homes”.
Bridget
van Oerle: “Producers must listen more to their potential audiences and
understand better how the media and audience works if they want to keep and
grow their audience.
Jerry
Pooe: “In an ideal world, the arts centres are the new production models and
should feed the big theatres, they all must become stakeholders and
collaborate. Producers also cannot depend on government funding alone. We have
to find a way to be independent from them. We need to work with passion.”
Jay
Pather: “A good artist explores his audience, uses what lives in his audience
and makes fresh and confronting work. If art is not addressing a burning
question in society, then I will not produce it.”
Steven
Stead: “I feel that we are more artists than producers. The baseline is that
the passion and the work come first, not the money. We produce some shows, like
the pantomimes, that make money. With that money we are able to produce our
passion projects and that business model works for us.”
Peter
Taylor: “There is an unfortunate universal attitude that seems to pervade the
country that one should not have to pay to attend theatre. One would never
think to ask the supermarket time after time for free groceries, so why this
attitude towards theatre?”
Bheki
Khabela and Bhekani Shabalala: “Producing industrial theatre is a completely
different way of thinking and working. It is not about you but about the
client’s voice. Some want you to talk about cultural differences, some want
their workers to know the safety regulations, or a change in the security
system. Sometimes it is health related and sometimes it is awareness or just
fun.”
Many
people applying for arts funding for the first time find themselves daunted by
the requirements in terms of paperwork such as budgets, action plans, etc. The
book provides invaluable guidelines for funding applications.
“Theatre
Production in South Africa, Skills and Inspirations
costs R100 (excluding postage and packaging) and can be ordered by calling 082 673 6662 or
email: info@twistprojects.co.za
The book is published by Twist Theatre
Development Projects and Jacana with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands. Twist Projects is supported by the National Lottery
Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) .- Caroline Smart
(Twijnstra and Durden are currently working on their new book: “Acting
for stage and screen, skills and inspirations in South Africa”.)
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