(Themi Venturas at the 2016 ACT Awards)
It is with great sadness that The Arts & Culture Trust
(ACT) bids farewell to its beloved former trustee, ambassador and award-winning
Theatre Great, Themi Venturas.
Venturas had been battling pancreatic cancer for the past few
months. He was moved to the Highway Hospice in Durban on September 11 where he
passed away at 20h00. He is survived by his wife Trish and his two sons Matthew
and Alexander.
His contribution to the arts and culture industry in South
Africa has been paramount and even in his last few days, he was still an active
supporter of the industry. According to Caroline Smart, fellow Durban theatre
practitioner and ACT Trustee, Venturas attended the entire performance of Footloose on the opening night at
Durban’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. He had initially directed Footloose in 2014 and was now
supervising director Daisy Spencer’s revival of it. “It was the last production
he saw in a theatre he loved,” says local arts journalist Billy Suter.
Venturas had a long and impressive career, where he had been
active in the KwaZulu-Natal theatre industry since 1984. He has managed theatre
houses, established production companies, supported local industry, created
employment opportunities and provided crucial up-skilling in the arts and
culture sector in Durban and South Africa.
Last year, Jackie Cunniffe of the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre
started a Go Get Funding Campaign in order to raise money for extensive and
on-going chemotherapy treatments that could hopefully prolong his life.
Although the fundraising campaign raised R303,240.00 the sustained cost of the
radical new treatments proved to be too great. As part of her campaign,
Cunniffe detailed Ventura’s extensive and fruitful career:
Elizabeth Sneddon
Theatre – University of Natal: 1984 – 1989
In 1984 he was employed by the then University of Natal as
the Head of Productions and Theatre Manager of the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.
During this time many young performers were set on the path to working
professionally in the industry including Thabo Mnguni, Tiki Nxumalo, Bongani
“Pillay” Ngwenya, Mthunzi Namba and James Ngcobo (award winning stage and TV star
currently the Artistic Director of the Market Theatre). Six years of teaching
and management at the University of KZN, Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre saw the
establishment of the EST Theatre Company which saw him actively involved in
creating work with many disadvantaged students throughout Durban including such
current and deceased luminaries such as jazz musicians, Lulu Gontsana, Zim
Ngqawana, Feya Faku, Jerry Kunene, Brian Thusi, Concorde Nkabinde, Johnny Mekoa,
Victor Masondo and Andile Zwane and established theatre professionals Alfred,
Patti and Tu Nokwe, Brenda Radloff, Celeste Litkie, Mark Faith and many others.
During this time he was also an active member and treasurer
of the erstwhile Theatre Alliance of Natal (TAN) – an organization created by
the UDF and COSATU to look after the underground interests of the disadvantaged
theatre community along with struggle colleagues Kessie Govender, Mi
Hlatshwayo, and Nise Malange.
The Playhouse Company
– Kwasa: 1990 -1993
Under the guidance of TAN Venturas applied for and became
the Community Programme Co-ordinator of the Natal Performing Arts Council
(NAPAC), later to become The Playhouse Company, for four years during which
time he was instrumental in creating the Kwasa internship Programme which
amongst other things trained many of South Africa’ s successful and landed
black performers including, Thabani Ngubane (CEO of Ingonyama Productions),
Nothando Mbanda (Mam Gobozi on Gagazi FM now owner of Ishashalazi Productions),
Kenneth Kambule (starred in Oscar nominated Yesterday),
Eric “Rasta” Hadebe, the late Collin Nhlumayo (playwright of Skwiza), the late Lindani Ngwenya
(presenter with Group Africa), Gugu Mzobe (recently starred in Jimbo and Sophiatown) Hamish Kyd (playwright and performer), Mzwandile
Kamaung (actor and opera singer), the late Thabani Tshanini (lead actor in
worldwide tour of Umabatha) Thami
S’kosana (actor, director), Tutu Goge (singer, actor in the New York production
of The Lion King) and many more.
Themi Venturas
Productions: 1994 till today
In September of 1993, Venturas took voluntary retrenchment
from the Playhouse Company and started his own Performing Arts Company (Themi
Venturas Productions) which is in its 25th year of existence. At a time when
most other theatre practitioners were leaving Durban for greener pastures, he
stayed and dedicated his career to the development of a performing arts
industry in Durban. He went out of his way to create products that employed
local artists and the lists of names of artists that have benefited from his
tutelage reads like the who’s who of the Durban Performing Arts Industry.
Artistic Creations
and Exports
As an artistic director he has been instrumental in the
making of many of South Africa’s cultural exports including the historic Zulu
opera Princess Magogo Ka Dinuzulu composed
by Mzilkazi Khumalo from a book by Themba Msimang and adapted for the opera stage
by Venturas which has toured to the USA, Norway, and the Netherlands. More
recently he directed Ziyankomo, And The
Forbidden Fruit composed by Phelelani Mnomiya from a book by Themba Msimang
once again adapted for the opera stage by Venturas. He recently created the
first ever Gospel opera called The
African Passion that toured South Africa in 2013. Most recently he directed
the world premiere of Mashu, the
musical written by Lucky Cele at the Playhouse in Durban.
Corporate Theatre,
Project management & Eventing
In the realm of corporate theatre, events and project
management, Venturas had vast local, national and international experience and was
widely regarded as one of the ‘best in the business’. Amongst his many
achievements in this arena he can include:
•the ‘first’ opening of the Durban ICC,
•the Durban International Festival of Music in Africa which
later evolved into the Awesome Africa Festival under the direction of Dan
Chiorboli,
•the Africa Peace Award ceremonies for Accord in the last 20
years also at the Albert Luthuli ICC,
•the Durban Millennium Celebrations and World show,
•the Association of Olympic Committees (ANOC) Gala show in
Bangkok, Thailand 2014,
•and the opening ceremonies of many conferences at the
Albert Luthuli ICC and the CTICC over the last 25 years.
•The first ever Freestate/Madeira international flower show
• Venturas has been instrumental in the creation and
management of the Durban International Blues Festival, now in its 13th year,
and a variety of other music and festival events throughout South Africa. He
founded the Catalina Theatre at Wilson’s Wharf in Dec 2002 and temporarily
saved the Kwasuka Theatre from closing in early 2006. He co-founded the
Limelight Theatre in Umhlanga. In addition to numerous awards for acting and
directing both at home and abroad, he has been awarded three lifetime
achievement awards in the field of Arts and Culture, namely: The Fools Award
for Lifetime achievement, The Ariel Award for lifetime contribution to the Arts
from the PESF, and the Durban Theatre Judges award for lifetime achievement.
Civic Involvement
As a member of the Arts and Culture Community of
KwaZulu-Natal he has tirelessly worked in various civic organizations on a
provincial, national and international level. He was:
•the Chairperson of the Dance and Theatre Network of KZN
•the former National Chairperson of Performing Arts Network
of Southern Africa(PANSA),
•the elected representative for KZN for the National Minister
of Arts & Culture’s Task Team for Dance & Theatre,
•an elected councillor for KZN of the 60 member General
Council of the Cultural & Creative Industries Federation of South Africa
(CCIFSA),
•President of the Alliance Française de Durban,
•a director of Keep The Dream 144 t/a Catalina UnLtd which
is a performing Arts production Company in SA which also ran the Catalina
Theatre,
• a former Trustee and now an Ambassador of the Arts and
Culture Trust of the President (ACT).
•he served as an Arts & Culture consultant to several
international organizations and was the World Vice-Chair of the Arts and
Culture Advisory Committee of the Athens Olympics 2004.
Fellow trustee and lifelong friend Brenda Sakellarides, head
of the National School of The Arts, had this to say: “Themi Venturas was a man
of extraordinary creativity and unique vision. He blazed many a magnificent
trail for others to walk on and to follow. Extending an ever-generous hand to
countless artists, he ignited the joy of creativity in the very core of their
being. Themi was a wildly gifted man; a philosopher, a writer, a director, a
shape-shifter, a voice of wisdom, a wake-up call, an honest reflection, a
painter of big pictures, a broker of possibilities and dreams, an actor, a
muso, a doer, a believer, a loving friend and just a wonderfully down to earth
kind human being who spoke with one voice to all people. A tireless champion
and defender of the arts, his was a voice of leadership and direction for many.
We mourn his passing, but know that a degree of immortality lies in his
extraordinary contribution to the world –
Themi Venturas has left an unstoppable legacy! “
ACT CEO Marcus Desando adds: “The Arts & Culture Trust
is deeply grateful to Themi for his long-standing service to the arts and
culture industry in South Africa. We are honoured to have had such a generous
and well-respected theatre practitioner serve as a trustee and later an
ambassador for ACT. His knowledge, expertise and credentials were an asset to
those he worked with and uplifted. ACT would like to take this opportunity to
extend our deepest sympathies to the Venturas family and friends. Themi will be
sorely missed”.
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