Corps

Corps explores the transporting links that connect the real and the unreal through photography and dance.

By: Moeketsi Koena, Gaby Saranouffi and Denis Rion
Venue: Wits Downstairs Theatre
Date: Friday, February 24 & Saturday, February 25 @ 19:00

Corps creates a link between today’s world and the past through the ancestral history of South Africa, Madagascar and France.

• Production: Inzalo Dance and Theatre Company (South Africa), Vahinala Dance Company (Madagascar).
• Co-Production: Centre Chorégraphique National de Nantes (France), I’TRÔTRA
• International Dance Festival (Madagascar) Support & Partnerships: Institut Français d’Afrique du Sud (IFAS).

The Dance Umbrella is produced by Dance Forum.

Watch the press for updates or go to www.danceforumsouthafrica.co.za.

Tickets available at www.computicket.co.za.

Download The Dance Umbrella 2017 Programme.

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Space

This work highlights our spiritual connection to a space we once occupied.

By: Sifiso Kweyama
Venue: Wits Theatre
Date: Friday, February 24 & Saturday, February 25 @ 20:00

This work highlights our spiritual connection to a space we once occupied. We long for this unrestricted space which allowed us to be free to be myself.

Funded by National Arts Council

The Dance Umbrella is produced by Dance Forum.

Watch the press for updates or go to www.danceforumsouthafrica.co.za.

Tickets available at www.computicket.co.za.

Download The Dance Umbrella 2017 Programme.

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Wednesday lunch hour concerts - Sanele Mwelase, Grace Magubane, Lindokuh Thabede & Carmen Micic

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

15 FEBRUARY: Sanele Mwelase - Voice; Grace Magubane (BMus II) - Voice; Lindokuhle Thabede (BMus II) - Voice and Carmen Micic (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano

22 FEBRUARY: Nicholas Bjorkman (BMus III) - Drum Kit    

1 MARCH: Gavriel Rubin (BMus IV) - Classical guitar and Nicholas Horsten (BMus III) - Classical guitar    

8 MARCH: Jordan Sunnasy (BMus II) - Drum Kit and Motswedi Modiba (BMus I) - Voice      

15 MARCH: Skye Worster (BMus III) - Classical Piano; Samantha Thomas (BMus III) - Voice and Hannah Schell (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano  

22 MARCH: Godfrey Mntambo (BMus III) - Saxophone and Andreas Poupazis (BMus III) - Guitar, this concert will take place in the Music Room, 8^th Floor University Corner, East Campus.

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Wednesday lunch hour concerts - Mihi Matshingana and Nicholas Bjorkman

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

15 FEBRUARY: Sanele Mwelase - Voice; Grace Magubane (BMus II) - Voice; Lindokuhle Thabede (BMus II) - Voice and Carmen Micic (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano

22 FEBRUARY: Nicholas Bjorkman (BMus III) - Drum Kit    

1 MARCH: Gavriel Rubin (BMus IV) - Classical guitar and Nicholas Horsten (BMus III) - Classical guitar    

8 MARCH: Jordan Sunnasy (BMus II) - Drum Kit and Motswedi Modiba (BMus I) - Voice      

15 MARCH: Skye Worster (BMus III) - Classical Piano; Samantha Thomas (BMus III) - Voice and Hannah Schell (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano  

22 MARCH: Godfrey Mntambo (BMus III) - Saxophone and Andreas Poupazis (BMus III) - Guitar, this concert will take place in the Music Room, 8^th Floor University Corner, East Campus.

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Wednesday lunch hour concerts - Gavriel Rubin and Nicholas Horsten

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

15 FEBRUARY: Sanele Mwelase - Voice; Grace Magubane (BMus II) - Voice; Lindokuhle Thabede (BMus II) - Voice and Carmen Micic (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano

22 FEBRUARY: Nicholas Bjorkman (BMus III) - Drum Kit    

1 MARCH: Gavriel Rubin (BMus IV) - Classical guitar and Nicholas Horsten (BMus III) - Classical guitar    

8 MARCH: Jordan Sunnasy (BMus II) - Drum Kit and Motswedi Modiba (BMus I) - Voice      

15 MARCH: Skye Worster (BMus III) - Classical Piano; Samantha Thomas (BMus III) - Voice and Hannah Schell (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano  

22 MARCH: Godfrey Mntambo (BMus III) - Saxophone and Andreas Poupazis (BMus III) - Guitar, this concert will take place in the Music Room, 8^th Floor University Corner, East Campus.

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Wednesday lunch hour concerts - Jordan Sunnasy and Motswedi Modiba

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

15 FEBRUARY: Sanele Mwelase - Voice; Grace Magubane (BMus II) - Voice; Lindokuhle Thabede (BMus II) - Voice and Carmen Micic (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano

22 FEBRUARY: Nicholas Bjorkman (BMus III) - Drum Kit    

1 MARCH: Gavriel Rubin (BMus IV) - Classical guitar and Nicholas Horsten (BMus III) - Classical guitar    

8 MARCH: Jordan Sunnasy (BMus II) - Drum Kit and Motswedi Modiba (BMus I) - Voice      

15 MARCH: Skye Worster (BMus III) - Classical Piano; Samantha Thomas (BMus III) - Voice and Hannah Schell (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano  

22 MARCH: Godfrey Mntambo (BMus III) - Saxophone and Andreas Poupazis (BMus III) - Guitar, this concert will take place in the Music Room, 8^th Floor University Corner, East Campus.

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Wednesday lunch hour concerts - Skye Worster, Samantha Thomas and Hannah Schell

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

15 MARCH: Skye Worster (BMus III) - Classical Piano; Samantha Thomas (BMus III) - Voice and Hannah Schell (BMus III) - Voice, with Peter Cartwright (Staff) - Piano  

22 MARCH: Godfrey Mntambo (BMus III) - Saxophone and Andreas Poupazis (BMus III) - Guitar, this concert will take place in the Music Room, 8^th Floor University Corner, East Campus.

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Wednesday lunch hour concerts - Godfrey Mntambo and Andreas Poupazis

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

22 MARCH: Godfrey Mntambo (BMus III) - Saxophone and Andreas Poupazis (BMus III) - Guitar, this concert will take place in the Music Room, 8^th Floor University Corner, East Campus.

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De-Apart-Hate

De-Apart-Hate was created in residency at the University of Maryland, The Clarice Performing Arts Center, Washington USA.

By: Mamela Nyamza
Venue: Wits Amphitheatre
Tickets: R 100.00
Date: Friday, February 24 & Saturday, February 25 @ 21:00

De-Apart-Hate is a potent weapon to make the oppressor understand that he/she is human and not superior over other human beings. This work is a discourse that starts with the struggles of South Africa as a nation without dwelling on race and ideology.

The Dance Umbrella is produced by Dance Forum.
Watch the press for updates or go to www.danceforumsouthafrica.co.za.

Tickets available at www.computicket.co.za.

Download The Dance Umbrella 2017 Programme.

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Trophée

Trophée is an outdoor performance with a strong affinity to visual and land art.

The work is a reference to the submission of women (trophy wife) of nature (hunting trophy) and the other by means of war throughout history.

The world is increasingly challenged to rethink humanity and the performance imagines itself to be a confrontation between opposing values and between man and nature.

Produced by: Skree Wolf
Co-Production: Festival Antigel Geneva;
Support: Republic and State of Geneva;
Touring support: Pro Helvetia JHB.

Download The Dance Umbrella 2017 Programme.

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Lady, Lady

Lady, Lady presents an experience into a female universe.

By: Gaby Saranouffi, Desiré Davids and Edna Jaime
Venue: Wits Theatre
Tickets: R 120.00
Date: Thursday, March 2 & Friday, March 3 @ 20:00

Lady, Lady presents an experience into a female universe, built up by the personal journeys of three female artists from different countries within the Southern Africa region (South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar). They share, search, explore and exchange their realities together in order to give voice to various commonalities, challenges and images. 

Production: Centre Cultural Franco- Mozambican- CCFM (Maputo) Vahinala Dance Company (Madagascar).
Co production: I’TRÔTRA International Dance Festival (Madagascar).

The Floating Outfit Project South Africa – supported by the National Arts Council. Support and partnerships: Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia; Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation, Institut Francais and Institut Français d’Afrique du Sud (IFAS).

Download The Dance Umbrella 2017 Programme.

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Detritus for One

Detritus for One is a physical theatre solo work with design by Gavin Krastin.

By: Alan Parker
Venue: Wits Downstairs Theatre
Tickets: R 80.00
Date: Friday, March 3 & Saturday, March 4 @ 18:00

The work explores the notion of “performing the archive” and the potential ways in which performance can be used to archive past dance works for an audience in the present. Detritus for One draws together dance, spoken word, puppetry and visual image.

Funded by: the National Arts Council of South Africa.

The Dance Umbrella is produced by Dance Forum.
Watch the press for updates or go to www.danceforumsouthafrica.co.za.

Tickets available at www.computicket.co.za.

Download The Dance Umbrella 2017 Programme.

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When they Leave

When they Leave is a triple bill choreographed by Kirvan Fortuin.

By: Kirvan Fortuin
Venue: The Wits Theatre
Tickets: R 100.00
Date: Saturday, March 4 @ 19:00 & Sunday, March 5 @ 14:30

The works take the audience on a journey through the world of the performers, being entertaining and interactive. The work is technical, high-pitched and creative in unusual ways.

The Dance Umbrella is produced by Dance Forum.
Watch the press for updates or go to www.danceforumsouthafrica.co.za.

Tickets available at www.computicket.co.za.

Download The Dance Umbrella 2017 Programme.

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New York Round Midnight

New York Round Midnight features a 9-piece band and includes a set and narration telling the story of jazz in New York City.

New York Round Midnight is currently one of the greatest international jazz theatre productions.

It features a 9-piece band and includes a set and narration telling the story of jazz in New York City, while performing some of the most recognised jazz compositions ever written. The entire production, which is performed over 90 minutes, takes the audience on a journey of jazz, starting with the A Train and getting off on 42nd street. While visiting the various jazz clubs, artists are introduced to the legendary jazz musicians of the time such as Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

The production has been performed extensively abroad and for the first time in South Africa, it will be performed with an all-South African cast led by internationally recognised South African jazz saxophonist, Karendra Devroop.

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From Sea to Shining Sea

The recital will feature a variety of compositional styles and regional flavors of American art song composers.

The recital will feature a variety of compositional styles and regional flavors of American art song composers, composed at the turn of the nineteenth-century till present day.

The program will feature, among others, Simon Sargon’s “A clear midnight,” poems by Walt Whitman, for baritone, piano and horn. This ‘unusual’ trio offers the listener a unique musical texture.

The composition presents the horn soloist as an equal player in the musical fabric, rather than its usual role as obligato instrument.

FREE parking at the Wits Planetarium, Braamfontein Campus East and the Wits Origins Centre, Braamfontein Campus West.

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Motswako the Mix: part 1

Motswako the Mix concert, part 1, will showcase the best of the Wits School of Arts’ Classical and Jazz Student Musicians.

Students are selected following a rigorous audition round judged by the music performance staff.

This ensures that only the best students are part of the concert, with extensive preparation and rehearsals guaranteeing a high standard of performance across two major musical genres. This concert provides a professional platform for these students to engage with a responsive public audience.

It also serves as a showcase for the young talent and high standard of teaching provided at Wits University, encouraging potential young audience members to find out more about possible careers in music.

The annual Motswako concert has proven to be such a hit in previous years that this year it will be in two parts. Part 2 will take place in the second semester.

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First Years in Concert

The first-year music students from the Wits School of Arts Music Division perform for friends, lecturers and the public on the open stage.

This varied group of musicians will sing and play the piano, guitar, drums and violin. The students undergo a rigorous audition process to be allowed to perform in this concert.

This means that only the top students from a strong first year class will be heard on the night. For many of these students, this is the first time that they will perform in public as Wits School of Arts students, showcasing the work they have done throughout the year so far.

Please come and support our first-year students as they take their first step on the ladder to musical success.

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The Dean’s Concert

A programme of Western classical music, jazz and popular music.

A number of years ago, the Dean of Humanities, with foresight, felt that there was an absolute necessity to raise money for financially disadvantaged first-year music students at Wits University. A concert was the obvious vehicle as a fundraiser and what better way than for the first-year students to perform in the concert and then have a small panel of lecturers judge their performances and award prizes in designated amounts of cash to the three winners. Further, in acknowledgement of the initiator of the idea, the concert would be called The Dean’s Concert. The tradition has been maintained and expanding on the lunch-hour concept, the concert highlights some of the First Year and Foundation music student performers. Students compete for monetary prizes sponsored by the present Dean of Humanities, Prof. Ruksana Osman. The programme includes western classical, jazz, and popular music.

Entrance is FREE and seats are allocated on a first come first serve basis.

Do not miss the opportunity to imbibe some of the country’s hottest budding talent, specially selected by the Division of Music’s practical staff.

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The Wits Trio

The Wits Trio returns to the Atrium for another concert since the Trio’s inauguration in 2012.

The hugely popular Wits Trio returns to the Atrium for its much anticipated concert that delivers an exceptional music experience with talented Zanta Hofmeyr (violin), Maciej Lacny (cello), and Malcolm Nay (piano). This popular Trio, which started their chamber music circuit in 2012 has become well-known throughout South Africa and receives requests to perform at venues all over the country.The concert will include Hendrick Hofmeyr’s Piano Trio; Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B Flat Major Opus 11, and Schubert’s Piano Trio in B Flat Major D. 898.

One of South Africa’s leading composers, Hendrick Hofmeyr is world renowned and is currently the head of composition at UCT. He is a composer of stage, orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and piano works that have been performed in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. This concert features his Piano Trio, composed in 2008.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11, was composed in 1797 and published in Vienna the next year. It is one of a series of the composer’s early chamber works and is scored for piano, clarinet (or violin), and cello (sometimes substituted by bassoon).

The Trio No. 1 in B-flat major for piano, violin, and cello, D. 898, was written by Franz Schubert in 1827. The composer finished the work in 1828 - the last year of his life. However, it was only published in 1836, eight years after the composer's death. Like the E-flat Major trio, it is an unusually large scale work for the piano trio format, taking around 40 minutes in total to perform.

Zanta Hofmeyr graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in New York where she was a student of Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang. After her New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall (now Weil Recital Hall), she returned to South Africa in 1985. Zanta teaches violin in Johannesburg and at the University of Pretoria. She often acts as string coach for youth orchestras and has been on the faculty of chamber music festivals in the USA and Stellenbosch, SA. She performs regularly as soloist with symphony orchestras in South Africa and was lauded for her performances of the Britten, Beethoven and Bruch concerti. 

In 2016 she performed the 10 Beethoven sonatas with Bulgarian pianist Ilia Radoslavov touring SA and the US. She has several recordings with different artists and has just released new CD of French violin sonatas.

Maciej Lacny was born in Cracow (Poland) in 1977. He graduated from the F. Chopin High School (1995) and the Cracow Conservatory of Music (2001) in Prof. Z.Lapinski’s cello class. He also obtained a pedagogical diploma from the Cracow conservatory of music.Between1995-1999 Maciej performed in many concerts around Europe with the Cracow Quartet in Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He is married to a South African flautist and living in Johannesburg.

Maciej is currently co-principal cello of the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra and he has played in several recitals with acclaimed pianist, Malcolm Nay.

Malcolm Nay is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber pianists and accompanists in South Africa. After graduating with a BMus from Wits University where he studied with Pauline Nossel and Isabella Stengel, he travelled on scholarships to America, where he studied with Bela Siki. Malcolm was the recipient of numerous prizes at several international piano competitions, including the prize for the most talented South African pianist at the 1st Unisa International Piano Competition and 2nd prize at the Montevideo International Piano Competition. As a soloist, he has appeared with most of South Africa’s major orchestras and is remembered especially for performances, in Gauteng, of the Mozart concertos, which he conducted from the keyboard.

He is also sought after adjudicator at prestigious music competitions throughout the country and he continues to perform extensively at the larger festivals in South Africa. He is currently Associate Professor at WitsMusic, Wits School of Arts (WSOA).

The Orbit restaurant in de Korte Street, Braamfontein has designed a menu specially for the Wits Trio Concert, with a selection of a two or three course meal at a package price. The restaurant will open at 12 noon on the 20th August to ensure that concert goers can enjoy a relaxing lunch before heading off the Wits for the concert. Booking is essential for the lunch. See the lunch menu here.

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Addison Frei SA Tour

The New York based pianist will be performing at the Great Hall for one night only.

The New York based pianist has won first prize in several competitions, including the 2016 UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa, the 2015 American Jazz Pianist Competition in Melbourne, Florida and the 2012 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, where he was noted as the youngest competitor.

He has toured and recorded in a duo setting alongside Manhattan Transfer co-founder, Janis Siegel.

In New York, Frei has held residencies at the Kitano, the Cell Theatre and Somethin’ Jazz, and performed at venues such as Minton’s, Birdland, Cornelia St. Café, Pangea and Rockwood Music Hall, among others. He has served as musical director of B-Side Productions’ Adding Machine and The Wild Party.

Frei also headlined the 2015 Wichita Jazz Festival, brought his group to the Dallas Museum of Art and joined vibraphonist Christian Tamburr at the Lied Center of Kansas. Frei’s acclaimed compositions have earned him invitations to Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and Generations International Jazz Festival’s Workshop.

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The Andre Petersen Quartet

Award-winning jazz pianist, and recently appointed Wits lecturer, Andre Petersen, is sure to set the Great Hall alight with his incredible quartet.

Award- winning jazz pianist, and recently appointed Wits lecturer, Andre Petersen, is sure to set the Great Hall alight with his incredible quartet featuring recent Berklee College of Music graduate and now New York -based, Kesivan Naidoo (drums), Sisonke Xonti (saxophone) and Romy Brauteseth (bass).

The concert will feature mostly original material from Petersen's two recently released albums, the Norwegian/South African collaboration, "The Storm Inside" featuring Feya Faku, and the acclaimed two-piano album with New York based classical pianist, Kathleen Tagg, "Where Worlds Collide". It is an eclectic programme of original material with influences of Cape Ghoema, classical, post-Bop and many more, delivering a uniquely Pan-African sound - a concert not to be missed!

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ONE

Wits Theatre in partnership with Tribe of Doris, British Council Connect ZA and Drama for Life Research Hub Young Artists in Residence present ONE.

ONE tells the tale of a man’s life journey that leads to his personal reckoning. Bennie, a storyteller – calls upon the energy of The Woman In the Wind, who represents the mother of all creativity to inspire him in his quest to write and tell stories. ONE is an intricately woven, layered piece, its context complex, its meanings nuanced and subtle. The production addresses a number of topics close to the hearts of Yana Seidl (choreographer and director) and partner Nyaniso Dzedze (co-creator and lead performer). Exploring themes of mirror-theory, the inner landscapes of humans and the capacity for introspection through fiction, ONE offers a space for a curious connection to “the meaning of it all.” Rich in metaphor, ONE uses dance, performance and film to create a multi-textured and nuanced rendition of one man’s life.

Starring Nyaniso Dzedze in the role of Bennie, he is accompanied by a talented group of dancers and directed by Yana Seidl. About the piece, Yana Seidl says the work “promises to reach deep into the souls of our audience, and stir the emotions therein.”

About the Artists
ONE is a performance, co-created by Yana Seidl and Nyaniso Dzedze of Vela Souls. Together they embrace a holistic approach to creativity and endeavor to call people into their truest expression of self, challenging established notions of self-love and the expression of human emotion.

Yana Seidl, (British–German), is a choreographer, writer, filmmaker and has spent significant time in South Africa over the last three years, prior to which she travelled the world extensively absorbing various dance cultures and working for professional dancers as a film-maker and photographer. Dedicated to a vision of seamless fusion between live dance and film projection, she is excited to create work which brings life through an amalgamation of her favoured creative forms. ONE debuts her work as a director / choreographer.

Nyaniso Dzedze (South African) is best known for his roles as Muzi in Hear Me Move and Tsietsi Namane in ETV’s Ashes to Ashes. He is an international movement and acting specialist with a depth of understanding and articulation in both areas. As an actor he investigates characters deeply and has crafted an ability to embody and breathe life into thought-provoking journeys.

Combining their strengths, Yana and Nyaniso are excited to offer Vela Souls’ first stage production.

Drama for Life South African Season
The Drama for Life SA Season is one of Drama for Life’s major festival moments during the year. The Season asks young professional artists to take ownership of their agency and begin the unenviable task of true societal transformation through theatre and art making. 

Safe parking is available in Senate House; the entrance is on Jorissen Street, Braamfontein

PRODUCTION: ONE; directed by Yana Seidl
VENUE: Wits Amphitheatre, Braamfontein East Campus,
SEASON: Thursday 20 April – Saturday 22 April 2017
20 April @ 19:00; 22 April @ 14:00 & 19:00.
Friday 21 April @ 13h15 = WitsTix

RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes no interval.

BOOKING                                                      
ONLINE                      
Full price                                                 R 70.00                        
Discount for students and pensioners         R 60.00
WitsTix                                                    R 15.00

DOOR
Full price                                                  R 75.00
Discount for students and pensioners         R 65.00
WitsTix                                                    R 15.00  

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Rehearse//Reveal

Rehearse//Reveal programme at the Wits Nunnery is presented by Wits Theatre in partnership with Drama for Life Creative Research Hub.

Drama for Life Rehearse//Reveal programme 2017 curated by Sthe Khali, is an aspect that was introduced in 2016 and offers young theatre-makers an experimental space to flight their work under the mentorship of Drama for Life staff and Theatre Company members. The Rehearse//Reveal participants are asked not only to bring artistic excellence to their productions but also to run and manage their performance venue and the marketing of the programme.

About Rehearse//reveal programme, Benjamin Bell (Curator of the South African Theatre Season) says, “it is about activating young artist’s agency. We recognise that young artists are the future of our creative industry; we are helping them achieve this through mentorship.” The Rehearse//Reveal programme hosts six performances in three days at the Wits Theatre namely Hisstory (Paul Noko) on 20 April at 13:15, Till Death Do Us Part (Sibusiso Fihlani) on 20 April at 18:00, Prophecy (Moeketsi Kgotle) on 21 April at 18:00, Breaking Cycles (Busisiwe Radebe) on 21 April at 20:30, Tick’Tock (Herbert Mokoena) on 22 April at 15:30 and Corner Bree and Eloff (Nelsen Mokoena) on 22 April at 17:30.

These shows will be at the Wits Nunnery. Rehearse//Rehearse programme is presented by Wits Theatre in partnership with Drama for Life Creative Research Hub.

Maimane! is a magical journey, a rite of passage, about a group of children who overcome seemingly insurmountable struggles in a land of on-going strife, anguish and outright conflict. This coming of age story, set against the backdrop of a contemporary South Africa, brings together a diverse group of young people who summon the courage to face extraordinary hardships against all odds. It is the telling of a story of heroism embedded in vulnerability, a collective humanity and hope. Maimane! is directed by Warren Nebe in collaboration with the talented Drama for Life Theatre Company members. You can watch Maimane! on 21 April at 19:00, 22 April at 12:30 and 20:30 at Wits University Corner, 19^th Floor. Maimane! is presented by Drama for Life Theatre Company in partnership with Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

Drama for Life, based at the University of the Witwatersrand, is an arts centre for social transformation and healing. We are dedicated to transforming arts, culture, heritage research, education and practice in Africa. Drama for Life Creative Research Hub is the new multi-purpose performance laboratory, conversation hotspot and resource centre dedicated to cutting-edge creative, empirical and conventional research in the heart of Braamfontein.

Tribe of Doris is not only an organisation but a collective of people who are passionate about engaging with each other and the world around. Through community events, festivals, a Summer School and gatherings they continue to spread our love of diversity and culture promoting cultural engagement and cultural exchange. 

British Council Connect ZA is a cultural programme developed between the UK and South Africa. Since 2013, the programme has supported cultural connections between young people aged 18-35 in the UK and South Africa with a range of arts projects and use of digital platforms to build creative networks through art forms including, fashion, music, film, design and more.

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Wednesday #LHC - Carmen Micic & Anna Spielmann

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

5 April - Carmen Micic & Anna Spielmann

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Wednesday #LHC - The Wits Choir

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

12 April - The Wits Choir, conducted by Dalene Hoogenhout

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Wednesday #LHC - Khanyisile Mthethwa Lacny and Peter Cartwright

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

19 April - Khanyisile Mthethwa Lacny and Peter Cartwright

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Wednesday #LHC - Siphephelo Ndlovu

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

26 April - Siphephelo Ndlovu

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#LHC - Thomas Nichol

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

3 May - Thomas Nichol

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Wednesday #LHC - First Year Concert Preview

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

10 May - First Year Concert Preview

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#LHC - Mandla Mlangeni

Join us for the Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts brought to you by the Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music.

17 May - Mandla Mlangeni

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The Alley and the Killwatch

The Wits School of Art, Division of Theatre and Performance and Wits Theatre are staging a student production of Dambudzo Marechera’s THE ALLEY and KILLWATCH.

The play is directed by Dr Samuel Ravengai, a senior Lecturer and Head of Theatre and Performance. Samuel Ravengai revived No Good Friday in the Wits Downstairs Theatre in 2014 to much public acclaim and directed an Africanised Vumani Oedipus at the Market Theatre in 2015. He has directed over twenty works in Cape Town and Zimbabwe.  Although Marechera’s other plays have been produced elsewhere, not many have tackled his absurd plays. We take up that challenge and make history by being the first to produce the work in a professional space.                                                                                                                  

Dambudzo Marechera’s work is normally regarded as modernist. His version of modernism is absurdism. Marechera’s two plays, The Alley and Killwatch are, arguably, the only absurdist plays he has written. The theatre of the absurd is intent on making its audience aware of humanity’s precarious and mysterious position in a world characterised by the decline of religious belief. This theatre does so through a non-plot based story and a pattern of poetic images that produces an essence.

Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle that ended with a ceasefire in 1979 was one of the bloodiest and most prolonged wars in the world. Dambudzo Marechera derived his inspiration from the aftermath of this war compelling Marechera to investigate its psychological ramifications that manifested as madness, hallucinations, insomnia and so on. Marechera drew on the experiences he witnessed, in the streets and wrote his absurd plays, The Alley and Killwatch that will be presented as a single production.

His characters in The ALLEY, Robin and Rhodes are outcasts that society has neglected and forgotten. They stick together to while away time and so there is no logical life purpose which one would find in a traditional realist play. Robin mental illness, a Marechera fascination manifests in hallucinations, violence and a fixation on the past while Rhodes has a milder version of madness compounded by his alcoholism. These characters have lost all sense of time.

The Alley depicts characters that fought on the opposite side of the Rhodesian conflict. Rhodes was a medic in one of Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army’s (ZANLA) platoons while Robin was party of Ian Smith’s Rhodesian Forces. These two characters are now tramps living in a Harare alley. By the end of the play, the two characters, Robin and Rhodes are exactly in the same situation that they were at the beginning of the play. The problem has not been solved. There has been no catharsis. The answer to the questions raised is one play with a series of poetic images that complement each other, but don’t form a discursive narrative.

If the rules of good playwriting demand that a play develops a story/plot, in Killwatch, there is no story. If a good play is judged by the revelation of characters who go through an emotional journey that reveals their character traits, in Killwatch this subtlety of characterisation and motivation is absent. If a good story develops on the basis of revealing the backstory about characters, Killwatch does the opposite or if a good story is judged by the depiction of a coherent theme which is neatly exposed and resolved at the end, Killwatch has no beginning and ending.

The whole play, Killwatch, is a transgression of realist/naturalist rules. On the surface, Marechera seems to present before his audience a realist world. However, in this seemingly realistic world, we are confronted by a set of characters that are mysterious. They are metaphysical beings of a nature between deities and humans. They inhabit both our world and that of the spirit world. Furthermore, the two watchmen do not have a past and a future. The playwright does not provide any information about their past and the reasons why they have to be in a café, park and cemetery. Marechera does not explain their actions, thoughts and feelings. Everything happens by impulse. The watchmen derive their pleasure from watching the grief of others in the cemetery. They are sadistic characters. The questions raised are not answered. 

Although the plays, The Alley and Killwatch, are entirely dialogue based, the sum total of the utterances does not develop a story at all. The interaction of these characters is in fact a single poetic image to underline the fact that we live in a world of tragedy that we seem to escape. It is Marechera’s response to the events of his time characterised by a brutal liberation war and the subsequent civil war with ended in 1987. Because nothing is certain, we deal with versions of truths as opposed to a single truth. This uncertainty is celebrated throughout the plays. 

Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Theatre and Performance 

PRODUCTION: THE ALLEY and KILLWATCH
VENUE: Wits East Campus, Braamfontein
SEASON:  24 April – 29 April 2017
RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes
BOOKING: www.webtickets.co.za

Full price = R80.00; discount price = R55.00 (students, pensioners and Wits staff).
Tickets are available at the door. Full price = R85.00; discount price = R60.00 (students, pensioners and Wits staff).
Wits Tix R10:00 online and R15:00 at the door

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Chilahaebolae

Subversive storytelling in Kgafela oa Magogodi’s allegory Chilahaebolae.

The Wits School of Art, Division of Theatre and Performance and Wits Theatre in the partnership with Market Theatre Foundation are proud to present Kgafela oa Magogodi’s satirical play Chilahaebolae set to run in the Barney Simon Theatre at the Market Theatre from 19 to 27^th May.

Chilahaebolae is the allegorical tale of Phokobje, the Jackal who sets out in search of his long-lost friend Mpja, the dog. He soon discovers that things are not as they once were. Now Mpja swims in the fat of Chilahaebolae’s suburban bliss. Phokobje's sudden appearance is an unwelcome interruption and an unpleasant reminder of Mpja's betrayal. Cracks on the edifice of their brotherhood grow wider and deeper.

What follows is a theatrical tale that taps into the Basarwa tradition of subversive storytelling. The antics of these animal proxies take the audience on a journey packed with laughter and adventure, while opening a window into a neo-colonial world.

In Chilahaebolae he works across a number of South African languages including English and Setswana and Scamto or tsotsi taal. Kgafela oa Magogodi’s experimental work in stand-up poetry, spoken-word theatre, live music and essay writing has found audiences across the country and the globe. His work has been translated into various languages including German, Dutch, French and Catalan. He has worked extensively in the theatre, both as a director and leader of spoken-word workshops that mix character development, storytelling, interpretive dance and political text. Magogodi’s approach to spoken word theatre took shape over a decade of experimental workshops where he was casting and directing Wits University Drama School students, New York University students as well as an independent poetry group based at the University of the North West.

Paul Noko plays the role of Phokobje. Noko has acted in number of productions including Grimm Tales at the Market Theatre, Story of the African Choir at the Grahamstown International Festival, Echoes which won the first community award created by the Naledi Awards and Tau which won an award at the Zwakala Festival in 2016. He is deeply committed to community theatre development and has been involved in number of theatrical projects and workshops. He is currently involved in community theatre development in Soweto and was recently nominated for a Fleur du Cap young directors award.

Opposite Noko is Sibusiso Mkhize in the role of Mpja, the dog. An accomplished performer from a young age, Mkhize has recently graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a BA (Hons) in Dramatic Arts. He has appeared in television productions such as Cooking Magic, Soul Buddies and was a cast member of the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi. He has a number of theatre productions under his belt including Meagan Wilson’s Ruined and Prince Lamla’s Thari.

The other BA Dramatic Arts students in the production include Zimkhitha Mohlabeng who plays Katse. Mohlabeng was runner up in both the nationwide Montenegro Dance Acrobatic Competition and National Acrobatics IAASA. Motho is played by Abongile Matyutyu, who has a number of performances behind him in various South African Theatres including: Exile, Road to Damascus, Apprehension, Same Difference, The Kraal, Lenong La Gauta, Selfie le Jesu, Them Too and Tormented Essence. His greatest achievements performing as a student include Thari directed by Prince Lamla, Ruined directed by Meagan Wilson and Smallanyana Skeleton directed by Kgafela oa Magogodi.

Nolitha Radebe who started her acting career in Prince Lamla’s Thari at the Market Theatre plays the character of Mokotoi; she is joined by Nakesa Ndou who plays Phiri. In her first year at Wits Ndou worked with Wits Alumni - Feeya Asmal and Kirsten Stewart on the POP Art production Creatures, where she learnt mask work and improvisation.

Young pianist Zipho Mokoena who plays the The Zookeeper and Bova brings a passion for music and the dramatic arts to his performance. Following a few months of formal piano lessons, he started teaching himself. Over and above studying for his Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts he works as a music producer. Fourth year dramatic arts student Shane Veeran playing The Circus Master is currently majoring in Directing and Writing, while triple major Joel Leonard is the Butcher. His majors are Performance, Physical Theatre and Writing. Community inspired Siphosam Kamwendo is in the role of the Fashion Designer. Drama allows her to positively impact the lives of those around her especially the youth.

“Three years ago we decided to find new and exciting ways to partner with Wits University, collaborating on productions presented by our Laboratory and their Drama Department. In the last three years we have curated a work from Wits for the mid year slot. We have also created a space for their students to come in as interns in the different departments at the Market,” says James Ngcobo Artistic Director of the Market Theatre Foundation.

“As part of the conversation that we program here, that features some of the best in our industry, Wits is always the first institution that we invite to participate in a moment where we engage each other and dissect concepts together. We aim to make sure that in the coming years we nurture this relationship,” he added. 

Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Theatre and Performance

PRODUCTION: Chilahaebolae 

VENUE: Barney Simon Theatre

SEASON: 19 May – 28 May 2017

19 @ 20:15, 24 @15:15, 25 @ 20:15, 26 @20:15, 27@ 20:15, 28 @ 20:15

BOOKING: www.webtickets.co.za or at the door

TICKETS:

Tickets are available online or at the door.

Full price = R85.00; online = R75.00

Wits staff, students, pensioners and SAG members

Full price = R65.00; online discount price = R60.00

Block bookings of 10 or more less 20%

Wits Tix R10:00 online and R15:00 at the door only on 19 May

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969 Festival

Wits Theatre’s 969 Festival celebrates its 14th birthday this year with a spectacular line-up of 28 theatre, dance and music productions.

Running from 14 – 30 July at the Wits Theatre in Braamfontein, the popular 969 Festival has a diverse artistic appeal showcasing work from all over South Africa. The 969 kilometre trek is one that most theatre lovers cannot make and for Gautengers, the 969 festival is the most convenient way to experience a cross-section of South African talent. 

“The diversity of this year’s festival featuring dance, music, theatre and comedy is exciting with a great balance between both main and fringe entries. We are also delighted to be featuring so many Standard Bank Young Artist winners,” says Gita Pather, Director of Wits Theatre, who has developed a reputation for finding and staging theatre productions which are all at once original and memorable.  She added…” The programme has been specifically structured for theatregoers to enjoy several shows in one day or evening with time for a meal or a drink at the theatre bar in a warm cozy environment”.

It’s a veritable feast of genres from comedy to thrillers and dramas, for all theatregoers across age groups, languages and cultures.

This year’s festival is bringing a choice of family fare and children’s theatre to its stages. As the event falls in the middle of the government school holidays, this year it invites children to come with their parents to enjoy the enrichment of live performance by including a young people’s theatre weekend on 15 and 16 July.

Tickets are available at www.webtickets.co.za or you can book online or through any Pick n Pay store. Even better, you can load your ticket on your Pick n Pay Smart Shopper card.

Tickets can also be purchased at Wits Theatre’s Box Office. Contact Yuhl on yuhl.headman@wits.ac.za / Bridget bridget.vanoerle@wits.ac.za  for block bookings.

Wits Theatre Box office Tel:011 717 1381

Ticket prices are as follows:

Download the programme schedule and ticket prices here.

• Full price online – R75.00
• Full price at Box office – R 80.00
• Pensioner, Wits Staff and Student Discount online – R 60.00 on presentation of ID document or valid student card
• Pensioner, Wits Staff and Student Discount Box office – R 65.00 (on presentation of ID document or valid student card

LUNCHTIME SHOWS

Download the programme descriptions here. 

• Online staff and public – R 50.00
• Box Office staff and public – R 60.00
• Online Students - R 40.00
• Box Office students and block bookings – R 50.00 on presentation of ID document or valid student card
• No WSOA passes accepted

Facebook: Wits 969 / Wits Theatre
Twitter: @Wits_Theatre1
Instagram: witstheatre

Media Queries:
Bridget van Oerle
011 717 1376
bridget.vanoerle@wits.ac.za

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Sound Us Out: Epoch String Quartet

Sound Us Out: Compositions for string quartet by final-year composition students performed by the Epoch String Quartet, conducted by Eddie Clayton.

The Wits Theatre and Wits School of Music Present:

Sound Us Out: Compositions for string quartet by final-year composition students performed by the Epoch String Quartet, conducted by Eddie Clayton.

Original String Quartets by final year Composition students of Dr Andile Khumalo.

Venue: The Atrium , SW Engineering Building / East Campus, Braamfontein

Cost: Admission is FREE

Free Parking at Senate House, Origin Centre West Campus.

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Lunch Hour Concert - Tamani Mbeya (Jazz Vocals)

The Wits Theatre and School of Arts (Division of Music) present Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts showcasing local artists.

Concert Dates:

• 2 August: Tamani Mbeya - Jazz Vocals
• 9 August: Public Holiday - No concert
• 16 August: Miseka Gaqa - Classical Voice & Anna Spielmann - Classical Voice
• 23 August: Palesa Pule - Jazz Vocals & Masechaba Phakela - Jazz Vocals
• 30 August: Sean Flint - Jazz Guitar
• 6 September: Thabo Mokoena - Jazz Voice

The above details are subject to change

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Lunch Hour Concert - Miseka Gaqa (Classical Voice) and Anna Spielmann (Classical Voice)

The Wits Theatre and School of Arts (Division of Music) present Wednesday lunch hour concerts.

Concert Dates:

• 2 August: Tamani Mbeya - Jazz Vocals
• 9 August: Public Holiday - No concert
• 16 August: Miseka Gaqa - Classical Voice & Anna Spielmann - Classical Voice
• 23 August: Palesa Pule - Jazz Vocals & Masechaba Phakela - Jazz Vocals
• 30 August: Sean Flint - Jazz Guitar
• 6 September: Thabo Mokoena - Jazz Voice

The above details are subject to change

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Lunch Hour Concert - Palesa Pule (Jazz Vocals) and Masechaba Phakela (Jazz Vocals)

The Wits Theatre and School of Arts (Division of Music) present Wednesday lunch hour concerts.

Concert Dates:

• 2 August: Tamani Mbeya - Jazz Vocals
• 9 August: Public Holiday - No concert
• 16 August: Miseka Gaqa - Classical Voice & Anna Spielmann - Classical Voice
• 23 August: Palesa Pule - Jazz Vocals & Masechaba Phakela - Jazz Vocals
• 30 August: Sean Flint - Jazz Guitar
• 6 September: Thabo Mokoena - Jazz Voice

The above details are subject to change

Add event to calendar

Lunch Hour Concert - Sean Flint (Jazz Guitar)

Wits Theatre and School of Arts (Division of Music) present Wednesday lunch hour concerts.

Concert Dates:

• 2 August: Tamani Mbeya - Jazz Vocals
• 9 August: Public Holiday - No concert
• 16 August: Miseka Gaqa - Classical Voice & Anna Spielmann - Classical Voice
• 23 August: Palesa Pule - Jazz Vocals & Masechaba Phakela - Jazz Vocals
• 30 August: Sean Flint - Jazz Guitar
• 6 September: Thabo Mokoena - Jazz Voice

The above details are subject to change

Add event to calendar

Lunch Hour Concert - Thabo Mokoena ( Jazz Voice)

Wits Theatre and School of Arts (Division of Music) present Wednesday lunch hour concerts.

Concert Dates:

• 2 August: Tamani Mbeya - Jazz Vocals
• 9 August: Public Holiday - No concert
• 16 August: Miseka Gaqa - Classical Voice & Anna Spielmann - Classical Voice
• 23 August: Palesa Pule - Jazz Vocals & Masechaba Phakela - Jazz Vocals
• 30 August: Sean Flint - Jazz Guitar
• 6 September: Thabo Mokoena - Jazz Voice

The above details are subject to change

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So Solo 2017

So Solo: A theater festival of 1 person plays

Wits Theatre is proud to present the So Solo 2017 Festival from 27 September to 8 October. Now in its fourth year, the much-acclaimed festival has become an annual barometer of the predominant undercurrents within South African society.

Established by Gita Pather, Director of Wits Theatre in 2013, the So Solo Festival celebrates the one-person play and offers audiences a diversity of thought provoking theatrical experiences from some of South Africa’s most talented actors. This year’s chosen plays allow audiences to immerse themselves in the stories that reflect the huge diversity of experience and reality.

“Solo performers delve deeply into themselves to create performances that reflect the overt and subliminal dilemmas of a country wrestling with multiple demons. Their experiences are our experiences as we struggle to find a sense of self, to fix an identity, to make sense of our world rocked each day by forces that are seemingly beyond our control,” says Pather.

“I have always believed in the power of the word. That power is intensified in performance and never more so than in the solo performer, who for the duration of a performance grabs our attention, forces us to focus, think and reflect. And that is what the arts do…it changes us and surely that is what we need…change?“ she adds.

Identity is a predominant theme at this year’s festival with twelve actors interrogating personal histories, values and aspirations against the volatile turbulence of a society in flux. Each production is different, its creative form reflective of the amazing talent that epitomises the performing arts in South Africa.

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International Men's Conference 2017

Rhema Bethesda Family Sanctuary International Church presents the International Men's Conference 2017 with the theme "Righteousness Exalts a Nation"

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Dizu Plaatjies – Ibuyambo Ensemble

Come experience some of the best performances of marimba, mbira, akadinda, umrhubhe, uhadi, and African drumming with Dizu Plaatjies – Ibuyambo Ensemble.

Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Music present Dizu Plaatjies – Ibuyambo Ensemble 

Joburg audiences will have a rare opportunity to experience some of the best performances of marimba, mbira, akadinda, umrhubhe, uhadi, and African drumming when Dizu Plaatjies – Ibuyambo Ensemble take to the stage at The Wits Theatre.  

Based in Cape Town, the Ibuyambo Ensemble, is a traditional ensemble lead by former Amampondo leader, Dizu Plaatjies. The five-piece group performs traditional, neo-traditional and original African songs. Virtually all instruments are handmade out of wood, animal skins, seeds, hand beaten metal.  

Dizu Plaatjies, the son of a Xhosa traditional healer, grew up in the Cape Town township of Langa in South Africa. Behind his warm smile is a serious and spiritual person. He is the founder and former leader of South Africa’s internationally celebrated marimba group, Amampondo. Dizu´s compositions and arrangements of traditional songs appear on 7 albums by his former group.  

After over 15 years of touring with Amampondo he recorded his first solo album in 2005, entitled, Ibuyambo. The CD was released together with a stage show. This event featured Dizu with most of the players with whom he recorded the album, performing in his hallmark body paint and featuring dance and costumes inspired by traditional outfits of the peoples of the southern African region. 

As teacher and he has recently visited the USA, Australia, and Scandinavia to lead workshops. He has performed in the Czech Republic, where his collaboration with local folk artist Jiri Pavlica has made Dizu a major attraction in that country being awarded a gold record for their recordings together. 

He plays live solo or as a duo or with his own band (known as Dizu Plaatjies and the Ibuyambo Ensemble) of multi-instrumentalists cover repertoire from his work of over 25 years while always offering something fresh. 

When not touring he spends his time teaching at the University of Cape Town’s Music College. 

PRODUCTION: Dizu Plaatjies – Ibuyambo Ensemble
VENUE: The Wits Theatre,
SEASON: Tuesday 19 September 2017
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes  
BOOKING: www.webtickets.co.za
Full price = R80.00; discount price = R55.00 (students, pensioners and Wits staff).
Tickets are available at the door. Full price = R85.00; discount price = R60.00 (students, pensioners and Wits staff).

For further information: www.wits.ac.za/witstheatre

Facebook: witstheatre / wits music 

MEDIA QUERIES:

Bridget van Oerle

011 717 1376 or bridget.vanoerle@wits.ac.za

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So Solo Tracks

Maude Sandham presents her So Solo commissioned work Tracks at the Wits Theatre.

So Solo commissioned Tracks crosses the lines between personal and political family histories

From the 27 September to 8 October Maude Sandham presents her So Solo commissioned work Tracks at the Wits Theatre. Drawn from her personal experience, this one-woman show, directed by Nicola Pilkington, is a poignant portrayal of a granddaughter’s search for meaning in the unanswered questions and unexplained silences in her grandfather’s life. 

In her unhindered and raw style Sandham excavates the layers of myth and memory of Alan Sandham, tracking her grandfather’s past through the fragments of her family’s history. Alan grew up in pre-Apartheid Fordsburg and in his early 20’s moved to Crosby, a suburb of predominantly White railway families. He was father of six and worked hard to provide for his family. He worked as a bricklayer at the South African railway, but at one point was doing three jobs to shape a better life for his family. Alan was considered a tough man, ‘self-made’ and proper, a man of poise with a strong sense of duty and obligation. Yet he was also a man with a secret – a secret he kept for more than 40 years.

Nineteen years after Alan’s passing, the majority of his family learnt of this secret. After finding a photograph of Alan’s mother and siblings, his children learnt that Alan was not a white man. He was a man that slipped through the cracks of the Apartheid architecture, and lived a life ‘in the light’, on the right side of the tracks. 

Tracks paints a poignant picture of a man who led a dual existence. It pieces together a picture of a complex man, a man half in the shadows, a man of sacrifice, an absent husband, a lover of food, and a grandfather. In retelling the stories of her grandfather’s past Sandham brings to light the paralleled personal and national effects of the Regime. 

Tracks uncovers the familiar stories we tell to fill the gaps in the documentation printed in the South African history books.  The reliability of memory and the retelling of others’ memories is brought into question while the credibility of history books that prioritise certain narratives and icons, exploded through the scrutiny and investigation of document and photograph. 

Sandham is a Johannesburg-based playwright, director and performer who specialises in physical and devised theatre.  She studied directing under Janet Buckland at Rhodes University and later Devising Theatre and Performance under Thomas Prattki at The London International School of Performing Arts in Berlin. She has performed in several works for theatre, television and film and is cofounder of creative productions company Alt Eye Productions. In 2014 Sandham was one of five young women directors chosen to direct for the Olive Tree Theatre’s Women’s Theatre Festival.  

Sandham‘s nuanced writing engages with the critical question: when we learn more about those we love: what do we choose to tell or ignore? While the story is a deeply personal narrative it deals with the complexities of being a young person in South Africa where personal histories are seldom a straightforward story. 

Dates:                   

• Wednesday 27 September @ 1.15pm
• Thursday 28 September @ 7.30pm
• Friday 29 September @ 6.30pm
• Sunday 1 October @ 6.30pm
• Wednesday 4 October @ 7.30pm
• Thursday 5 October @ 1.15pm and 6pm
• Friday 6 October @ 7.15pm
• Saturday 7 October @ 4pm
• Sunday 8 October @ 3pm 

Venue: Downstairs Theatre

Running Time: 50 minutes

Age Restriction:10+ 

Tickets are available at www.webtickets.co.za or you can book online or through any Pick n Pay store. Even better, you can load your ticket on your Pick n Pay Smart Shopper card. Tickets can also be purchased at Wits Theatre’s Box Office. Contact Yuhl on yuhl.headman@wits.ac.za/ Bridget bridget.vanoerle@wits.ac.za for block bookings.

Ticket prices are as follows:       

Full price online – R75.00
Full price at Box office – R 80.00
Pensioner, Wits Staff and Student Discount online – R 60.00 on presentation of ID document or valid student card
Pensioner, Wits Staff and Student Discount Box office – R 65.00 (on presentation of ID document or valid student card 

Wits Theatre Box office: 011 717 1381
Facebook: Wits Theatre
Twitter: @WisTheatre1
Instagram: witstheatre

http://www.wits.ac.za/witstheatre

Media Queries: Bridget van Oerle

011 717 1376

bridget.vanoerle@wits.ac.za

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Motswako The Mix

Motswako the Mix showcases the best of the Wits School of Arts’ Classical and Jazz student musicians.

Students are selected following a rigorous audition- round judged by the music performance staff. 

This ensures that only the best students are part of the concert, with extensive preparation and rehearsals guaranteeing a high standard of performance across two major musical genres. 

This concert provides a professional platform for these students to engage with a responsive public audience. It also serves as a showcase for the young talent and high standard of teaching provided at Wits University, encouraging potential young audience members to find out more about possible careers in music. 

The annual Motswako concert has proven to be a hit in previous years, and this concert is the second part, following the successful concert earlier this year. 

Admission is free!!

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Ten Bush

The Wits School of Arts and Wits Theatre presents Ten Bush, written by Mncedisi Shabangu and Craig Higginson and directed by Prince Lamla.

Ten Bush was originally created by Mncedisi Shabangu, through the Market Theatre Laboratory, and has since been reworked by both Shabangu and co-writer Craig Higginson after they embarked on an incredible journey to discover the intricacies and inner-workings of witchcraft.

Shabangu and Higginson visited a settlement known as Tenbosch, which inspired the title of the play, and was situated in the middle of a large and affluent sugarcane farm. “The farmer hadn’t bothered to provide sanitation or electricity for the settlement and the inhabitants got cold water from a single tap. The foreman, who had the highest status amongst the workers living there, had a bicycle and a walkie talkie for communicating with the farmer,” Higginson explains.  

The people in the settlement had crafted beautiful homes out of woven grass and reeds; the only furniture inside on the bare mud floor was a bucket and a mattress. This harsh yet arresting environment is what set the scene for Ten Bush. 

Higginson used plays like Macbeth and Blood Wedding as his frame of reference, while Mncedisi was influenced by Theatre de Complicite as well as his own upbringing and the stories he heard as a child. They decided to write the play with large sections of Siswati and English. 

Director of Ten Bush Prince Lamla, who is also a lecturer in the Theatre and Performance Division of the Wits School of Arts, speaks about why he chose this script for his 2017 production:

"Mncedisi Shabangu’s work has always fascinated me since before I became a director over a decade and a half ago. As a director, I always wanted to seize the opportunity to present his work. When I look at Ten Bush, it has all the elements of the kind of theatre that I think needs to be staged. So, works like Ten Bush, for instance, I think should become one of the classics. One of the reasons I have decided to direct this play is I want the challenge of making the spirit realm visible. Choosing this as a student play means I can expose students to contemporary South African work that is authentically African. Teaching at Wits, I am aware that part of the journey is to decolonise learning. So as part of the education and experiential learning this is a good script for them to become familiar with not just with the cultural practices but with the writers that are in the industry." 

Lamla had a very clear vision from the outset of how he wanted the production to look and feel. Drawing from Mncedisi and Higginson’s visit to Tenbosch in the middle of the sugarcane, he decided to leave the stage bare but for four benches and a few simple yet effective props including blankets and some leafy branches, which the actors use to create spaces and sounds. 

Hailing from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, Lamla is an award-winning and leading theatre director of his generation. “We are excited to be staging this thought-provoking play at the Wits Theatre and it is an honour to have the talents of Prince who brings a distinctive style of direction to Ten Bush,” says Wits Theatre Director, Gita Pather.  

The talented cast of six are Ratanang Mogtsi, Abongile Maurice Matyutyu, Nolitha Radebe, Xolile Gama, Angelinah Mofokeng and Sandile Mazibuko.

The play opened at the National Arts Festival in 2008 and then afterwards took to the Market Theatre stage. It was successfully received both critically and with the audiences, and won various awards. After its acclaim at the Market Theatre, Ten Bush travelled to Stockholm and a theatre festival in Germany. This is the first staging of the play since then.

VENUE: Downstairs Theatre Wits East Campus, Braamfontein

RUNNING TIME: 85 minutes

BOOKING: www.webtickets.co.za

Full price = R80.00; discount price = R55.00 (students, pensioners and Wits staff).
Tickets are available at the door.
Full price = R85.00; discount price = R60.00 (students, pensioners and Wits staff).
Wits Tix on 13 October:  R10:00 online and R15:00 at the door 

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L.I.F.E: a history of distance

L.I.F.E a history of distance is the culmination of Wits PHD scholar and award winning choreographer Bailey Snyman’ s research in choreography and philosophy.

The dance work explores how various choreographic strategies can be used as approaches to create an embodied narrative.  It is a work in four parts of 20 minutes each that considers the distance between being born and dying and are titled [L] Lamentation.  [I} Interruption; [F] Fate and [E] Eulogy …LIFE. 

In L.I.F.E: a history of distance, Bailey Snyman experiments with interpretations of tacit knowledge systems in the creative process. The work interrogates the nature of knowledge (s) embodied in people and processes including “tacit” knowledge. Snyman  engages and interrogates Michael Polanyi’s beliefs that creative acts are imbued with personal feelings or passions. 

Professor Marie-Heleen Coetzee [2017] writes, "Combining his [Snyman] love of movement with his interest in philosophy towards his doctoral studies, Snyman set up a creative research process that overtly engages Michael Polanyi’s beliefs that creative acts are imbued with personal feelings (or passions as per Polanyi).  These passions inform the hunches and imaginings in creative processes – they are pre-cognitive processes that comprise of conceptual, perceptual and sensory information that impacts on meaning-making." Polanyi calls this is tacit knowledge and his theory offers a nuanced and layered understanding of the relationship between science, knowledge, and tacitness. In doing so, he argues that all knowledge is rooted in tacit knowledge and that tacit knowledge is thus part of scientific knowledge. The sections in Snyman’ s work named above  are created using Harald Grimen’s (1991) interpretations of Polanyi’s ideas on tacit knowledge and explores whether these interpretations can be ‘translated’ into choreographic strategies. 

There will be one performance on 10 November at Wits Theatre at 8pm. Tickets are R20 at the door.

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CORNE & TWAKKIE #BELIEVEIT

Legendary comic duo CORNE & TWAKKIE return for a special one-off Joburg show on Friday 8th December.

Could you believe it Guys & Ladyguys? Believe it, because it’s True! 

Legendary comic duo CORNE & TWAKKIE return for a special one-off Joburg show on Friday 8^th December. The Godfathers of Zef are finally coming out of their self-imposed semi-retirement at the Bronkhorstspruit Caravan Park. 

‘We’re so flippen excited to be put on the most amazing show we has ever done. It takes a very special show to get us out of the caravan and back on a stage, and this is that show. Hold onto your underpants because its about to get really flippen real. Believe it because it’s true.’ Twakkie. 

‘It’s like making sex on Natalie Portman. There will be free meat and Jacuzzi soap for everybody except Ronald Trump.’ Corne. 

This most amazing show is made possible thanks to the proud support of Savanna and Comedy Central.  Tickets available NOW at Webtickets or Pick n Pay stores.

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OWeek Performing Arts Festival 2018

Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts present the OWeek Performing Arts Festival 2018

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