Liewe Teaterganger

Liewe teaterganger

Jy het gekies om 90 minute van jou lewe op sy te sit en ʼn toneelstuk te kom kyk. Ons, die ander gehoorlede, wil ook graag die vertoning kyk, daarom smeek ons jou om ʼn paar basiese reëls te oorweeg.

Tydens die afgelope feestyd het ek nie een vertoning bygewoon waar iemand se selfoon nie gelui het nie: alarms, BB’s, SMS’e, e-posse en oproepe. Sit jou selfoon af, want die liggie wat flikker pla ook, en kyk die vertoning.

Moet asseblief nie jou suigstokkie agter my kom suig nie. Moet asseblief ook nie die sherbet uit die suigstokkie uitsuig nie. Moet, wanner die suigstokkie op is, asseblief nie aan die stokkie begin suig tydens ʼn vertoning nie. Dis gross en dit freak my uit.

Wees ook asseblief betyds vir alle vertonings. Ek moes menigmale ʼn ekstra paar minute wag vir ʼn vertoning om te begin omdat jy nog jou sigarettetjie gerook het.

Fotograwe, daardie masjientjie wat jou verniet in ʼn vertoning inkry, is baie steurend. Die flitse gee my aanvalle en die klank van jou foto’tjies is steurend. Doen almal die guns en reël vooraf vir ʼn paar kiekies of doen iets met die settings op jou kamera.

Die ‘feessituasie’ in die land gee vir baie mense kans om toneelstukke te kyk, en daaroor is ek inniglik bly.

Sit jou bier weg, jou selfoon af en wees betyds. Dis net goeie maniere.

US Woordfees Orion se belt

Annemarie Hattingh, Brian Robson en Elizna Vermeulen

Orion se belt laat gehore skaterlag by Woordfees.

Stellenbosch, Aan de Braak Teater-Kroeg

Regie: Frans Hamman

Die klein produksie met Elizna Vermeulen, Annemarie Hattingh en Brian Robson het vermaak.

Die kabaret is op liefdes-realiteitsprogramme baseer en volg Orion op sy pad na liefde. Orion moet kies tussen twee meisies. Die een, Mariska (gespeel deur Hattingh) en die ander Anneline (Vermeulen).

Altwee keuses het hul  eienaardighede wat gehore vermaak.

Annemarie Hattingh en Brian Robson

Die produksie spog met ʼn oorspronklike nuwe teks wat vir die hele familie gepas is. Die skerp kommentaar op vandag se verwagting van liefde, wat baseer is op realiteitsprogramme is, is verfrissend .

Programme wat onder die kollig kom sluit in: The Bachelor, Extreme Makeover en Masterchef.

Die tegniese besorging, behartig deur Johan de Jager, dra ook grootliks by tot die produksie. 

Die lang monoloë kan soms langdradig raak en tussentonele kan gladder verloop.

Elizna Vermeulen

Die spanwerk onder geselskap is tasbaar en die wending aan die einde is onverwags.

Die produksie kan deur die hele familie geniet word, maar spreek spesifiek tot ʼn jonger teikenmark.

Cardenio Controversy

This year is particularly exciting at Maynardville Open Air Theatre, because there will be two plays running concurrently throughout the summer season.  Cardenio opened 12 January 2013 to an almost packed audience and a perfect summer evening.

Recently the Cape Times published a review by Tracey Saunders (15 January 2013) that described Dorotea’s rape scene as an “almost throw-away treatment” and that it “made the production very disturbing”.

While the rape of Dorotea may read to Saunders as callous and thoughtless, my interpretation of that scene differs vastly.

The ambiguity between the violent, yet consenting nature of that scene resonates with the themes within the play.

Roy Sargeant has also almost brilliantly juxtaposed the revelry of the festivities within the court with the intimacy of that sexual act. If anything, I would argue that the revelry could have been more raucous and festive.

While Saunders also argues that the socio-political themes within the production could have been explored more, I appreciated the straightforward portrayal of the story-line (being unfamiliar with it myself).  

In many instances themes are forced, almost stuck onto a production, like a child with a bottle of wood glue and paper, and consequently the essence and wonderful Shakespearean subtleties of the production get lost.

Sandra Young mentioned that “Roy Sargeant offered us little to help us reflect on the deeply disturbing undercurrent of violence inflicted on those in positions of disempowerment”.

Melanie Judge (Cape Times 17 January 2013), who had not yet seen the production, also commented that the scenes were “hugely problematic”.

I would argue that in this case, Sargeant dealt with the intricate nature of the themes in a thought provoking way. As an audience member I left the theatre contemplating those controversial scenes as well as the way that many women return to their abusers.

So then the question at the heart of the production remains: Was it really rape?   

The interpretation should be left up to the audience.