58th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards reveals nominees
The Distell Group and Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards have revelealed the list of nominees in contention for the annual awards which reward outstanding work in the theatre industry.
Contested Bodies. Image by Fiona Macpherson
Now in their 58th year, the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are one of South Africa’s most prominent awards of their kind and Fleur du Cap nominees or winners are always proud to highlight this award on their biographic and promotional material.
The theatre fraternity managed to raise the curtain on an impressive 59 productions eligible for consideration in 2022, despite still being hampered by Covid-19 restrictions in the first part of the year.
Nominations were made by the panel of judges across 21 competitive categories. Winners will be revealed at the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch on 26 March 2023. In addition, the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement and Innovation in Theatre Awards will also be announced. Every category winner will receive a sum of R15,000.
Panel chair, Africa Melane, says: “Theatre audiences in Cape Town and surrounds were treated to extraordinary creativity in 2022, with theatre demonstrating the breadth and diversity that the sector has to offer. Theatre-makers showed great resilience in yet another difficult year of producing and mounting outstanding work.
“The industry is grateful to the public for supporting the arts, returning to theatres in their droves, hungry for a live theatre experience.
“These shows helped us to experience deep-seated emotions and change our perceptions of the world, as well as better understand the struggles and successes of other people and cultures. They reminded us that we are not alone. With these nominations, we celebrate and honour the sterling work showcased.”
Melane explains that in the category for Musicals and Music Theatre productions, there will only be awards for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor. This is attributed to the limited number of musicals and music theatre productions that were staged.
Tracey Saunders, overseeing the evaluation of all student productions for awards, says: “It’s been a delight to watch students return to full-time study on campus after the Covid-enforced break. Their enthusiasm shone through on stages at all of the tertiary institutions.
“Students staged 70 productions ranging from a few large-cast extravaganzas to small, intimate pieces and several in between. Increasingly, students venture beyond acting to hone their talents in writing, directing and the technical craft required to stage work. These multi-talented and disciplined young people, 185 of them to be precise, were the focus of much deliberation. Ten nominees have deservedly earned their places on this list. With a cohort of such disciplined and talented students, the future of the creative industry in South Africa looks bright.”
The student institutions represented are Act (Cape Town), AFDA, CTDPS, LAMTA, Magnet Theatre, Northlink College, University of Stellenbosch and the Waterfront Theatre School.
And the nominees are...
Award for Most Promising Student
Anna Olivier | LAMTA
Buhle Stefane | Magnet Theatre
Gerard van Rooyen |LAMTA
Katherine Sharp | AFDA
Ketsia Velaphi | AFDA
Koketso Mere | Waterfront Theatre School
Miché C van Wyk | University of Stellenbosch
Mikayla Joy Brown | University of Stellenbosch
Minke Marais | University of Stellenbosch
Sunny Yoon | LAMTA
Best New South African Script
Basil Appollis and Sylvia Vollenhoven | Dance of the La Gumas
Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer | Contested Bodies
Nadia Davids | Hold Still
Nico Scheepers | Nêrens, Noord-Kaap
Scott Sparrow | Dinner at the 42s
Best New Director
Carlo Daniels | No Complaints – New Day, New Dawn
Duane Alexander | Your Song – The Music of Elton John
Emma Amber | The Marvelous Wonderettes
Iman Isaacs | Irma
Sohail Booise | Hostel Lights (Zabalaza Best of the Fest)
Best Theatre Production for Children and Young People
Liewe Heksie en die rolskaatse | Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck
Peter Pan | A&M Productions (Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer)
Sonde met die spoke | University of Stellenbosch Drama Department
Vlooi en die geheim/Kipper and the Secret | Marinda Engelbrecht and Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck
Best Performance by an Ensemble
Albert Pretorius, De Klerk Oelofse and Geon Nel | Nêrens, Noord-Kaap | Ronnie, Andries and Frans
Andrew Buckland, Billy Langa, Carlo Daniels, Craig Leo, Faniswa Yisa, Marty Kintu, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe, Sandra Prinsloo and Roshina Ratnam | Life and Times of Michael K | Various roles
Brendan van Rhyn, Christopher Dudgeon and Rudi Jansen | The Triplets of Bellville | Cathy Specific, Holly and Molly
Dean Balie, Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf | Karatara | Themselves
Lungile Lallie, Marcel Meyer and Matthew Baldwin | Contested Bodies | John Nobody, Doctor James Barry and Lord Charles Somerset
Best Performance in a Revue, Cabaret or One-person Show
Daniel Anderson | Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved | Various roles
Daniel Newton | Shadow Boxing | Flynn
Erika Marais | Die Goeie Pa | Various roles
Sibuyiselo Dywili | The House of Truth | Can Themba
Sophie Joans | Île | Herself
Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical of Music Theatre
Anzio September | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Zane
Earl Gregory | Star+Crossed | Billy
Loukmaan Adams | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Benny
Marc Lottering | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Aunty Merle
Shaun Oelf | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Lead Dancer
Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical of Music Theatre
Jawaahier Petersen | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Soraya
Keiko Mdwaba | Once on this Island | Little Ti Moune/Peasant
Noluthando Dlamini | The Marvelous Wonderettes | Betty Jean
Sarah Jane | Star+Crossed | Bess
Tankiso Mamabolo | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Ayanda/Dr McTavish
Best Puppetry Design
Adrian Kohler | Handspring Puppet Company | Life and Times of Michael K
Best Lighting Design
Faheem Bardien | Star+Crossed
Gideon Lombard | Karatara
Joshua Cutts | Life and Times of Michael K
Mannie Manim | Kiss of the Spider Woman
Wolf Britz | Firefly
Best Set Design
Greg King | Fordsburg’s Finest
Nial Griffin | Dinner with the 42s
Patrick Curtis | Hold Still
Themba Stewart | No Complaints – New Day, New Dawn
Wolf Britz | Kiss of the Spider Woman
Best Costume Design
Brendan van Rhyn, Christopher Dudgeon and Rudi Jansen | The Triplets of Bellville
Marcel Meyer | A Streetcar Named Desire
Marcel Meyer | Contested Bodies
Nial Griffin | Dinner with the 42s
Phillis Midlane | Life and Times of Michael K
Best Sound Design, Original Music or Live Performance
Gideon Lombard | Karatara | Sound design
Charl-Johan Lingenfelder | A Streetcar Named Desire | Sound design
Kyle Shephard | Life and Times of Michael K | Original music
Simon Kohler | Life and Times of Michael K | Sound design
Wessel Odendaal | Star+Crossed | Original music
Best Performance in an Opera – Male
Conroy Scott | Le Nozze di Figaro | Figaro
Lwazi Dlamini | Le Nozze di Figaro | Bartolo
Smelo Mahlangu | Sara Baartman – The Opera | Georges Cuvier
Van Wyk Venter | L’elisir d’amore | Belcore
William Berger | Le Nozze di Figaro | Count Almaviva
Best Performance in an Opera – Female
Bongiwe Nakani | Sara Baartman – The Opera | Sara Baartman
Brittany Smith | Le Nozze di Figaro | Susanna
Megan Kahts | Alcina | Ruggiero
Setsoane Jeannette Ntseki | Alcina | Morgana
Siphamandla Moyake | Le Nozze di Figaro | Countess Almaviva
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play
Brent Palmer | Dinner at the 42s | Drinkwater
Carlo Daniels | The Unlikely Secret Agent | Various roles
Gerard Rudolf | Neon Smoel | The Lobster Man
Matthew Baldwin | A Streetcar Named Desire | Mitch
Sanda Shandu | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Nick
Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play
Babalwa Makwetu | IKrele leChiza... The Sermon | The mother
Berenice Barbier | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Honey
Lauren Snyders | Curl Up and Dye | Charmaine
Melissa Haiden | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stella
Nomakrestu Xakatugaga | Ikrele leChiza... The Sermon | Nongoma (Guardian of the ancestral realm)
Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Play
Emily Child | Dinner with the 42s | Eva
Fiona Ramsay | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois
Marí Borstlap | Neon Smoel | Kaval
Mwenya Kabwe | Hold Still | Rosa Feigel
Sylvaine Strike | Firefly | Ferine, Sophia and Mariti
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play
Andrew Buckland | Firefly | Ferase, Uxor and Conrad
Elton Landrew | Dance of the La Gumas | Alex La Guma
Mncedisi Shabangu | Blood Knot | Zacharia
Nicholas Pauling | Dinner with the 42s | Burn
Paul Slabolepzsy | Fordburg’s Finest | Freddie Volschenk
Best Director
Fred Abrahamse | Contested Bodies
Gideon Lombard | Karatara
Greg Karvellas | Dinner with the 42s
Jay Pather | Hold Still
Toni Morkel | Firefly
Best Production
A Streetcar Named Desire | A&M Productions
Contested Bodies | A&M Productions
Firefly | Baxter Theatre Centre, SU Woordfees in Association with Fortune Cookie Theatre Company
Karatara | Marie Vogts
Life and Times of Michael K | Baxter Theatre Centre; Theater der Welt, Düsseldorf; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.
2022 eligible productions:
A Christmas Carol, A Revue of the Songs of Brel and Piaf, A Streetcar Named Desire, Agulhasvlakte, Aunty Merle: Things Get Real, Back to Ashes (Zabalaza Best of the Fest), Betrayal, Blood Knot, Born Naked, Buzani Kubawo, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies, Contested Bodies, Curl Up and Dye, Dance of the La Gumas, Defending the Gay Man, Die Goeie Pa, Dinner with the 42s, Double Star, Earworm, Firefly, Fordsburg's Finest, Four Fathers: Bananas for the Baboons, Hamlet, He Had it Coming, Hold Still, Hostel Lights (Zabalaza Best of the Fest),I Want to Write You a Submarine, iKrele leChiza, Île, Imbilini...My Friend!, Irma, Karatara, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Life and Times of Michael K, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Mad About the Boys, May I Have This Dance, More Than a Handful, Mutton Hour, Neon Smoel, Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, No Complaints - New Day, New Dawn, Once on This Island, One Arm, Platform 9: Coming Home, Shadow Boxing, Shirley Valentine, Star+Crossed, The Dead Tinder Society, The House of Truth, The Last Five Years, The Marvelous Wonderettes, The Triplets of Bellville, The Unlikely Secret Agent, Thuto, Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved, Vloeibare moed, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Your Song - The Music of Elton John.
The panel for the year 2022, selecting the 2023 nominees and winners:
Africa Melane (Chair), Dr Beverley Brommert, Hadley Tituss, Dr Lwando Scott, Mariana Malan, Marina Griebenow, Tracey Saunders, Dr Wayne Muller.
