Shows

Abnormal Loads

Starts: 11 Apr 2012
Ends: 20 May 2012
Booking info

Market Theatre in association with Standard Bank and Think Theatre present
Abnormal Loads
Written by 2011 Standard Bank Young Artist Neil Coppen
Directed Neil Coppen and Jana Ramos Violante
Writer/director Neil Coppen (creator of Tin Bucket Drum and Tree Boy), has set his latest play in a fictional battlefield town situated in the once war ravaged valleys of northern KwaZulu-Natal. It has been described in the national press as a breathtaking amalgamation of ghost story, love drama, historical epic and dark comedy.
When thirty-year-old loner Vincent Liversage meets sixteen-year-old Katrien Joubert (the rebellious daughter of the local NG Kerk dominie) an unusual friendship is forged and soon the two hatch a plan to escape the oppressive town of their birth. However, to obtain freedom they must first confront and challenge their divided family histories.
As an annual town re-enactment from the Anglo-Boer war approaches, Vincent and Katrien find themselves cast in the roles of their long-lost ancestors, playing out and – often unwillingly – repeating events from their ill-fated love affair. It isn’t long before the young lovers come to realise that history has a much stronger pull on them than they had imagined. Setting out to rewrite its undesirable conclusions is a task not without its own set of creative challenges.
With a narrative that whisks audiences through two centuries of South African history, Abnormal Loads presents a theatrical world in which the past runs in tandem with the present and events shift seamlessly from the grandeur of a battlefield in 1879 to the intimacy of a bedroom in 2011.
Coppen’s acclaimed production features a multi-talented cast comprising of some of the country’s finest talents, including Allison Cassels, Mothusi Magano (of Tsotsi and Plein Street fame) and Jenna Dunster (of Isidingo). Once again, Coppen has collaborated across disciplines and mediums to bring his new work to life. Movement, sound, music, multi-media and shadow combine to create a unique theatrical experience.
Abnormal Loads is running at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg from April 11th – 20th 2012.

Reviews of Abnormal Loads
“Astonishing” The Mercury
“Captivating and heart-rending theatrical mastery.” The Witness
“Extraordinary” artSMart
“Neil Coppen’s accomplished dramatic comedy Abnormal Loads is a must-see.” The Mail & Guardian
“A resounding success.” The Tonight
“Breathtaking.” The Crystal Calligrapher
“Innovative and intriguing” The Herald
“Ground Breaking” City Press.
“Exceptional.” Business Day
“A beautifully hewn work.” Artslink
“Heartbreaking” LitNet

Character: Cast Members:
Vincent Liversage Mothusi Magano
Katrien Joubert Jenna Dunster
Moira Bashford Liversage Allison Cassels
Prudence Ngobese Fortunate Dhlomo
Gerty Ngobese Ntombi Gasa
Edna Bashford Jana Ramos- Violante
William Bashford Clinton Small
Johan Joubert Thomie Holtzhausen
Charlie Ngobese Nhlakanipho Manqele
Chorus Nosipho Bophela and Shayna De Kock

Season: 11 April – 20 May 2012

Venue: The Main Theatre

Performance Times: Tues – Sat, 20h00 and Sun, 15h00

Gala Event: Friday 13 April 2012

NB: Tuesday performances R72 only!

To make block bookings, please contact Anthony Ext 121 or Tiny Ext 135 on 011 832 1641.

For further information, interviews and images, contact:
Lusanda Zokufa, Interim Marketing Manager
Market Theatre Foundation
011 832 1641 ext 118 or 123
072 367 7867
lusanda@markettheatre.co.za

Woza Albert

Starts: 13 Mar 2012
Ends: 22 Apr 2012
Booking info

Market Theatre, by arrangement with DALRO (Pty) Limited, presents
Woza Albert !
Written By Percy Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema and Barney Simon
Starring Mncedisi Baldwin Shabangu and Hamilton Ntokozo Dlamini
Directed by Prince Lamla
Woza Albert! is one of the plays for which South African theatre is best known internationally. Its physical style of storytelling was to inspire and influence theatre companies around the world – and it is one of the best examples that define South African theatre in all its vibrancy, innovation and humanity.
This celebrated and much-loved South African classic asks what would happen if Jesus Christ (Morena) came back to South Africa during apartheid. This lively satire of the absurdities of apartheid provides a showcase for the talents of two dextrous actors, who play a range of ordinary characters on the street.
The first part of the play sets the scene, attacking the pass laws that prevented black South Africans from moving and working freely. Similarly, it sketches in a few short minutes the semi-slavery that was imposed on manual workers by bosses who could fire them if they got too independent. However, there is always a rich vein of humour even in the worst adversity. The use of clown’s noses to distinguish the elite Afrikaners – including the Prime Minister – from the apparently subservient blacks was one of the features to make this play famous. The short, impressionistic sketches begin to move from background scenes of generally downtrodden life to interviews with individuals about the impending visit of Morena – who inaugurates his Second Coming by flying to South Africa courtesy of SAA.
The second half of the play becomes considerably darker and more resonant. Now Jesus is in the country and his life is replayed in the apartheid context. He is first welcomed then imprisoned. When he is taken to Robben Island, his escape is easy as he walks back across the bay to Cape Town. This retelling of a familiar story in a new context becomes devastating by the end, shedding light on both the Bible and apartheid South Africa.
The new season of Woza Albert! features the talented performers Mncedisi Shabangu and Hamilton Dlamini. The 2012 production will be directed by emerging talent, Prince Lamla, whose production, Coal Yard, won the Zwakala Festival and had a highly successful ran at the Market Theatre. The Market has had great success recently with the restaging of classics from the past – and Woza Albert! comes as the latest installment. As with the recently highly successful Siswe Bansi is Dead, this play has been interpreted by a new generation of theatre practitioners for a new and growing audience.

Dance Umbrella 2012

Starts: 17 Feb 2012
Ends: 04 Mar 2012
Booking info

Dance Umbrella 2012 will be the 25 MINUS 1 equals the 24th edition of this internationally acclaimed dance platform and the programme will feature a celebration of contemporary dance, performance art, Afro-fusion, dance film and video and internationally renowned South African choreographers.

The shows featured at the Market Theatre are:

EXIT/EXIST
by Gregory Maqoma
Directed by James Ngcobo, music composed by Simphiwe Dana
Main Theatre
17 & 18 Feb @ 20h30 & 19 Feb @ 15h00
The core of this piece is memory; rephrasing the notion of existence and the notion of simply existing in order to exist. Exit/Exist takes a moment to pause; to look back; to rewind the tape to the days when the tapestry of South Africa was about the collision of biographies.

DANSMETTIEDUIWELS (NO UNDER 16)
by Alfred Hinkel
Main Theatre
21, 22 & 23 Feb @ 19h30
This is the story of Emmanuel Bugen born in Matjieskloof, at a Roman Catholic mission station, a few kilometers from Springbok in the Northern Cape. As a young adult he believed he had a calling to serve his creator and so joined the monastery in his home town, in the hopes of eventually being ordained as a priest. A while into his training Emmanuel requested that he be given permission to work with children. This request was refused as the abbot believed he displayed an inappropriate interest in the children. Using Emmanuel’s story as a spring board we interrogate the Church’s doctrines and belief systems regarding sex, sexuality and its relationship with women and children.

DADDY, IVE SEEN THIS PIECE SIX TIMES BEFORE AND I STILL DON’T KNOW WHY THEY’RE HURTING EACH OTHER…
by Robyn Orlin
Laager Theatre
22, 23 & 24 Feb @ 21h00
Robyn Orlin’s Daddy explores politics in the arts in terms of performance empowerment and ownership of space. Six performers fight over the same space while they wait for their director to arrive for a performance. They are in a state of panic five minutes before the show, but the director does not arrive. Their waiting becomes the background against which the collage of dances is set. Daddy, won the prestigious Lawrence Olivier Theatre Award in London for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2003.

DIRTY LAUNDRY
by Mark Hawkins
Featuring Moving Into Dance Mophatong Dance Company
Main Theatre
25 Feb @ 15h00 & 20h00 & 26 Feb @ 15h00
Dirty laundry should be dealt with immediately otherwise it piles up, becomes overwhelming and ends up becoming everyone’s problem. Everyone loves it when other people’s ‘dirty laundry’ is aired in public, except when it is our own. It is what sells newspapers, gossip magazines and great TV programmes. Politicians, celebrities, the man in the street, are all subject to it, and the dirtier your past secrets are, the more famous you become.

DOUBLE BILL
Laager Theatre
28 & 29 Feb @ 19h00
The More… by Sifiso Kweyama
The more we change, the more…..................................................................................................................

Just we by Moeketsi Koena
Just We is a project about the problems that may arise between countries in both Africa and Europe. Two dancers come from different countries and speak two different languages, but both are from Southern Africa. There are the influences of colonization, freedom and different cultures. Saranouffi is from Madagascar (ex French colony) and Koena is from South Africa (ex British Colony). Two different countries and two different political identities. In Just We the
dancers use free improvisation as a tool to communicate and interact with the audience.

FAITH
by Melody Putu
Main Theatre
28, 29 Feb & 1 Mar @ 20h30
A dance performance about a girl. We get to follow Faith on the journey of her life, from obstacles to possibilities… a young girl who resembles any other girl in the world, with dreams of love, happiness and a safe future. But Faith has to fight for her rights in her community and in her family. The performance reflects our fear as the society and the individuals around us change. But it also shows how dancing and music can create curiosity, strengthen our identity and inspire. To be who you are… The way you were born.

DOUBLE BILL
Laager Theatre
29 Feb & 1 Mar @ 21h00
Homodryer Choreographed, Performed and Video Designed by: Kieron Jina
As a child I was told stories by my elders and I consequently developed a passion for telling my own stories through my performance art. I focus on an interdisciplinary artistic mode of creation by using the body as a means to communicate personal truths which consequently explore themes relevant to society as a whole. Homodryer is therefore a personal story. This work is sadly inspired by the passing of my second mother, our domestic worker. The societal pressure on her to conceal her HIV/Aids status resulted not only in her early death, but also the infection of her unborn child. I want to confront the stereotypes associated with HIV/Aids by exploring her story through my own body.

Chant by Nhlanhla Mahlangu
This work honours all the women in my life. It is a gift to my two daughters. Chant presents my challenged traditions in the hope to speak to new truths. Chant challenges the manipulation of nature, the use of technology, religion, tradition, politics and power to the point where our only space and time are crippled and unable to accommodate us.

OPERA FOR FOOLS
by Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe
Main Theatre
3 Mar @ 15h00 & 20:30 & 4 Mar @ 15h00
The backdrop for Opera for Fools depicts the Shebeen lifestyle that was lived in the South African townships of Johannesburg, where it framed the centre stage for some of the dramatic events that took place between the 1970’s and 1990’s. In the so-called ‘informal settlements’ of Soweto, Sophiatown and Alexandra, migrants from far and nearby neighbouring countries made new friends, all sharing the one common goal ‘to find that mighty gold and diamonds’ in the belly of the earth. In these townships, the vacuum was a recipe for crime to some, a political weapon to others. The nights would be silenced by gunfire or tsotsi raiding the dark streets like a black cat seeking its prey. Black cars with tinted windows would be either spying on individual houses or taking young ones who had been left in the streets without any care.This work features music Deconstruction by Andrea Cera, with dancers from South Africa, France/La Reunion/Martinique.

Shwele Bawo

Starts: 14 Feb 2012
Ends: 18 Mar 2012
Booking info

Tshabi Girl Productions
in association with the Market Theatre presents
Shwele Bawo

Shwele Bawo looks at the juxtaposition of old traditions fighting for survival against modern ways in South Africa and the effect this has on society.

Through the story of the protagonist, Dikeledi Nkabinde, told retrospectively from Dikeledi’s place of imprisonment, many themes create multiple layers for thought: identity crises among men and women; the disintegration of family structures; women and child abuse; relationships; incest; the power of the media and the inequalities in our justice system, all come under the spotlight.

The play reveals how these issues, ignored for far too long, have created a social time bomb of secrets and lies that threaten to destroy our society.

Dikeledi is a woman who decides to take the law into her own hands and plans to kill her abusive husband. For over 12 years she has been a faithful wife to Solly Nkabinde, turning a blind eye to his infidelities and physical abuse. Traditional instructions from her elders to obey her husband (“Monna ke selepe wa kadimisangwa! A man is an axe to be borrowed!”) keep her from leaving her situation.

But when she realises that her daughter, Bontle, has also been a victim of abuse at the hands of Solly, she explodes and other proverbs are awakened within her - (“Mmangwana o tshwara thipa ka bohaleng! The mother of the child holds the sharp end of the knife!”)

The protective instinct of the mother kicks in and to protect her children, she plans to kill her husband and break the chains of her repetitive abuse.

An award-winning playwright, actress and director, Motshabi is as well known for her belief in the need for the empowerment and cultural enrichment of our youth and society as she is for her theatrical and television work. “When we encounter Dikeledi at the beginning of the play she has already spent two years in jail. She has done some deep soul searching and has forgiven herself. Through the story, the audience see not only Dikeledi’s story, but that of the South African society at large. Do we keep on judging her? Or are we going to look at her with different eyes? Are we going to look at ourselves and see what we`ve become and see what we stand for? What do we stand for?” Motshabi asks.

Book now to see Shwele Bawo. Performances are at the Market Theatre Tuesdays to Sundays. Tickets are and available through Computicket or by calling the theatre (011) 832-1641. Group and block bookings are available.

Ends

Note to the Editor: About Motshabi Tyelele

The winner of the 1986 Artes Awards for Best Comedy Actress, 2001 Avanti Award for Best Sitcom Actress, 2004 Naledi Award for Best Actress in a Drama and 2010 Golden Horn (SAFTAS) Award for Best Supporting Actress, Motshabi trained in Speech and Drama at the University of Cape Town, went on to study Public Relations with PRISA (Public Relations Institute of South Africa) and did Voice Training with the Royal National Theatre Company in London.

Popularly known as “Thando” in the local sitcom Suburban Bliss, Sophie in Generations and Eve in Madam and Eve, Motshabi has worked extensively as an actor in film, television and theatre.

Her recent television appearances were in the popular children`s programme Takalani Sesame, Soul City 6 and Yizo Yizo 3.

Motshabi recognises the need for the empowerment and cultural enrichment of our youth and society in general and is active in drama/communication workshops. A former voice teacher at the Market Theatre Laboratory, Motshabi co-wrote and directed an industrial theatre production dealing with HIV/Aids, No Second Chance for the Eskom Development Foundation, which toured the country.

Working with Corporatescenes Inc, an American based company, Motshabi has facilitated Active Communication workshops for Avis South Africa, Transnet, The Department of Education, McKinsey Group, The Kelly Group and Khalil Fattal et Fils (Lebanon).

She has also been the Master of Ceremonies at functions such as Nadine Gordimer`s 80th birthday celebration, the Tenth Anniversary of the Human Rights and Democracy Awards and Absa Foundation Gala Dinner in honour of the IEC`s Dr. Brigalia Bam and Adv. Pansy Tlakula to name a few.

Shwele Bawo! A Grave Injustice! was nominated for Best New S.A Play, Best Set Design and Best Performance by a lead Actress, for the 2004 Naledi Awards.

Motshabi received the Best Performance by Lead Actress Award, for her outstanding role in this great play, which was also one of the highlights at the Playhouse Company`s Tenth Celebration of the South African Women`s Arts Festival in August 2006!

A highly competent and versatile voice artist, her voice can be heard in the children`s International award winning animation programme, Magic Cellar, in which she plays three characters!

Motshabi starred alongside John Kani in Nothing but the Truth which toured the UK after a highly-successful season at the Hampstead Theatre in London. She also starred in the movie version of the same play.