Oscar winner

Eugene Yiga: What drew you to acting?

Sandra Prinsloo: I think the idea of creating a magical yet unreal world wherein people could see themselves reflected really drew me in when I first started off, rather unwillingly , as an actress.

When did you decide that this was what you wanted to do professionally?

When I was 20 I started working for PACT and after my second production I fell deeply in love with theatre and decided that there was nothing else I wanted to do.

And can you still remember what your first performance was like?

Yes, I remember clearly that I was a complete mess of jangly nerves. I have no idea how I got through it!

You've worked across stage, television, and film. Do you feel more drawn to one over the others?

I suppose theatre is my first love: the immediacy of it, the interaction with the audience.

What's the funniest or strangest thing that's happened to you while on stage?

There have been many funny and strange things that have happened on stage, but once I walked up the inside of my very full period dress going up a staircase until I was on my knees and had a hell of a time untangling myself and keeping a straight face at the same time.

And what were your thoughts or reactions back in 1985 when your on-stage kiss with John Kani caused an audience walk-out during the play Miss Julie?

It all seems very unreal now, but at that time it was very real. I suppose I was quite shocked by the display of vehemence and hatred that was the reaction to a kiss across the "colour bar", but I never doubted the fact that we were right in doing Miss Julie as it should be done in that time.

What drew you to the book [by French novelist Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt] that later became this play?

I love the French for their philosophical turn of mind and the central theme for me in his book is one of making choices in how we can deal with reality and how the reality that we choose is the only reality that there is.

And how did the adaptation come about?

Schimtt himself adapted it to become a play; Professor Naomi Morgan translated the French play into Afrikaans, and here we are doing the South African English version of it.

The story about a terminally ill boy and the old woman who comforts him seems like heavy subject matter. But is there a brighter message or meaning in the text?

It is very moving and sad, but it is also inspirational and very funny at times. Children are so honest and that makes for a lot of fun in the play.

And how do you prepare for a role that requires you to play several different characters?

You do it bit by bit! You find the core of the character and then you define it with a specific voice and body language. But it's the core that's important.

The Afrikaans version has already won several awards for Best Production, Best Director, and Best Actress at festivals including KKNK, Fiestas, Aardklop, and Vryfees. Why do you think the work resonates with audiences?

I just know that it does resonate with audiences, the "why" could be for many reasons. I suppose we all understand loss, hope, joy, laughter and love.

How do you deal with the challenge of holding two versions of the same play in your head at the same time?

With a hell of a lot of focus and concentration!

And what's it been like to work with [director] Lara Bye?

To work with Lara Bye has been an enormous joy! She makes it all feel like fun, but she is hugely perceptive and a great stickler for detail. It was a wonderful journey in which she helped me realise each of the characters. Also, her sensitivity in the choice of music for the play and her vision of how it should be lit, the incredibly simple set, all contributes hugely to what I think the magic of the production is.

Are there any people you'd most like to work with in the future?

Oh, a whole host! But I must say that I find young people incredibly stimulating and challenging to work with.

What theatre roles would you most like to play?

Whatever is good and comes my way, but I am happy to do so many classical parts at the moment and hope that will continue.

And what do you have planned for after the show's run ends?

I am already in rehearsals for The Seagull by Anton Chekov, so no guessing what's next for me - although there is a short trip to Russia before we open in October. Good timing, I think!

Oscar and the Lady in Pink (PG-10) is at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre until 23 August. Book at Computicket.