WOZA ALBERT AT THE MARKET THEATRE JOHANNESBURG: excerpt
Also see excerpt from cast of WOZA ALBERT in conversation! Link:
Onstage now in Johannesburg! Venue: Laager Theatre at the Market Theatre.
Duration: 90 minutes no interval
Ages: All Ages
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.
Television production by Competent Artistes, television director and editor Paul Tilsley. competentartistes.tv
THE MARKET THEATRE JOHANNESBURG VIRTUAL TOUR: ENTERING THE THEATRE COMPLEX!
Part of the Market Theatre Virtual Tour. For further details: markettheatre.co.za
Television production by Competent Artistes competentartistes.tv
ON SCENE: THE MARKET THEATRE | CHILDREN'S MONOLOGUES | ACTOR SPACES
The john kani theatre on the 20th May 2016, @themarkettheatre staged the Children's Monologue's directed by James Ngcobo, with Mfundi Vundla as the Executive Producer, and choreography by Gregory Maqoma. This project is set to showcase monologues written by young authors.
In this star-studded charity event, we saw on stage a perfect fusion of our local veterans and high profiled performers working their magic. The truth that was brought on stage gave each story life and audienes were able to see the kid like characters without any doubt. It was wonderful to see how each established performer put the young authors stories across.
To name a few, the production featured Jamie Bartlett, Sello Maake Ka Ncube, Robert Whitehead, Lesedi Job, Sonia Radebe, Masasa Mbangeni, , Lebo Toko, Nokukhanya Dlamini, Gugu Shezi and Nomfundo Dlamini.
KWELA BAFANA+ presented by The SIBIKWA PLAYERS at the Market Theatre Johannesburg EPK
A musical journey that will leave you dancing and wanting more... - Gwen Ansell, Business Day
Following sold-out performances at the Victory Theatre last year, Kwela Bafana+ is once again about to take Jozi by storm. Starting 25 May, put on your most fabulous dancing shoes and head for the Market Theatre, where Bra B Ngwenya and the Kwela Bafana Band will get your feet tapping to the vibrant tunes reminiscent of South African townships in the 50s.
A distinctive style of music was born from the shabeen scene in the 1950s. It was funky and audacious and could liven up a dance floor in a moment. It was also layered with innuendo as it descriptively portrayed township life during an era in the country when people were faced with apartheid's ugliness, which included the devastation of forced removals. To survive these adverse times, music became an escape and, although it was often uplifting, the undertones of tragedy and fear were always evident. The hauntingly evocative penny-whistle or kwela -- meaning get up or kwela kwela describing the police vans - was made famous through kwela music during these times. It was this fabulous 50's street music, with its magical jazzy undertones, which had revellers living up the night life inside the noisy walls of the shabeens, where kwela sounds, non-stop action and the never-ending flow of beer kept people's hopes and dreams alive.
No payment on arrival PLEASE!
Ticket Prices
Tues R75, Wed & Thurs R95, Fri & Sat R160, Sun R120
Kwela Bafana+, A Night in a 50's Shabeen, is an engaging musical story, which brings to life the unforgettable sights and sounds of South Africa during a decade known for producing a distinctive flavour in song and dance. Directed by renowned Sibikwa Art Centre founders Phyllis Klotz and Smal Ndaba, with musical direction by the multi-talented Themba Mkhize - who has among his many accolades arranged and composed the music for both the Confederation and World Cup - and choreography by the internationally-acclaimed Todd Twala, Kwela Bafana+ will warm the hearts of an eclectic and multicultural audience.
Boy Ngwenya, an original member of the Woodywood Peckers and the famous King Kong cast, brings authentic 50's flair and personality to his performance. Then, accompanying Bra B, audiences can look forward to the award-winning talents of actress Velaphi Khumalo, who has, in previous Kwela productions, become one of the shows biggest attractions. Khumalo is a tour de force to be reckoned and brings some seriously powerful vocal talents to her performance.
This fabulous musical theatre features numbers from the classic, King Kong, songs by Victor Ndlazilwane of the Woodywood Peckers and Dambuza Mdledle of the Manhattan Brothers. These kwela songs became a hallmark sound in the South African township jazz genre and were sadly lost in the intense political history of those times. Now, Kwela Bafana will pay homage to the rich heritage of this definitive 50's-style, urban township music.
Insist on speaking to Anthony for that special ticket price¡
Call the Special Ticket Hot line Now 083-246- 4950
Season Dates: 25th May -- 24th June, 2012.
Tuesday to Saturday 8pm, Sunday 3pm
20 -25% discounts for block booking (excluding Tuesdays)
This EPK produced by Paul Tilsley and multi-camera unit at Competent Artistes
Johannesburg's Market Theatre turns 40
Forty years since its opening, South Africa's Market Theatre remains rooted in downtown Johannesburg, where it first brought blacks and whites together.
Johannesburg Market Theatre: A theatre for the people
The apartheid government in South Africa named it protest theatre, yet its staff and actors called it theatre for the people. It became one of the first places where blacks and whites worked together, when South Africa was a segregated society...Today 40 years since it came into existence...the theatre's appeal has spread far beyond the country's border
Sunjata at the Market Theatre Johannesburg
Cameron Kemp talks about the play he's in
The Market Theatre
It's known as South Africa's Theatre of struggle. The market Square has a reputation of bringing about democracy and social reform many South Africans take granted today. Some of the most critically acclaimed shows are watched here and it continues to make an outstanding contribution to creative talent in theatre.
Market Theatre Laboratory Crowd funding 001
The Market theatre Laboratory does essential work in theatre and other art form education in Johannesburg. But like all things related to the arts they are underfunded. Having produced a number of award winning artists, they play an essential role the future of arts & culture in our country.
CIOFF South Africa presents African Theatre
The National Section of CIOFF South Africa under the auspices of the Secretary-General Mr. George Nthome Oliphant presents the spectacular ever vibrant African Dream - Traditional Dance Group.
Market Theatre Johannesburg: The Table onstage till September 18 - excerpts
The Table - 18 Sep 2011
Venue: Laager Theatre
Duration: 105 Minutes
Ages: All Ages
Cutting edge theatre maker Sylvaine Strike collaborates with an electrifying cast and the highly acclaimed writer/ dramaturge Craig Higginson to bring you an enticing slice of a family dinner.
Four children re-unite with their mother over a Friday night meal where a world of love, sibling rivalry, confused genetics, domesticity, tradition and, of course, food... is unveiled. Funny and deeply moving, this is a journey into the very heart of a family redefined by the South African existence.
Featuring: Annabel Linder, Brian Webber, Janet Carpede, Khabonina Qubeka, William Harding and Karin van der Laag.
Television production excerpts by Paul Tilsley and Competent Artistes. competentartistes.tv
Noord by Market Theatre Laboratory (opening)
Noord played to standing ovations at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown (2015) and was recognised with the Adelaide Tambo Award in the student category for celebrating human rights through the arts. Set at Noord Taxi Rank in central Johannesburg, Noord!, directed by Clara Vaughan, tells the compelling story of a woman working as a taxi driver in an industry dominated by men. The play, powerfully performed by an ensemble of Market Theatre Laboratory second year students, uses the poetry of the streets and striking imagery to capture life and survival in the margins of the dirty, crazy, beautiful and dangerous city of Joburg. Created in collaboration with Kgafela oa Magogodi, Jaques Da Silva and Salome Sebola, this production is a funny and moving exploration of how gender, power and belonging are negotiated in public spaces.
Kofifi Theatre Company
Kofifi Theatre Company presents the 1986 play 'Sophiatown' -- this clip is from the Soweto Theatre run April 2013. For more information contact: thmcentre@mweb.co.za
Produced by the Trevor Huddleston Centre, with guest director Alexander Gifford from the UK, this production commemorates three important legacies from South Africa's history: (i) the Centenary of the Native Land Act 1913 that began the process of white people appropriating land from black people which led to forced removals across the country, starting in Sophiatown in 1955 (under the Native Resettlement Act; (ii) the centenary of Father Huddleston's birth, June 15 1913 -- Huddleston was a life-long activist against racism and apartheid, who spent 12 formative years in Sophiatown between 1943-1955; and (iii) 100 years of Sophiatown being a neighbourhood (1912).
Despite its past, Sophiatown today is again one of the most diverse suburbs in South Africa. Kofifi Theatre Company is based in a heritage site and works in the historic house of Dr A B Xuma -- one of only four buildings to survive the Sophiatown demolitions between 1955-1962.
- see what's on in our historic suburb, from daily tours, photographic gallery, the heritage centre hosting live jazz monthly.
Popular Johannesburg's Market Theatre turns 40
To South Africa now, since its inception in 1976 the Johannesburg Market theatre has been an integral part of the country's history. The market theatre was formed just two weeks after the Soweto uprising, and forty years on it still bears the mark of a unified front by both blacks and whites in the country.
Market Theatre JOHANNESBURG: 'CLOSER' excerpts
This production of Closer, directed by Sello Maake Ka-Ncube, was staged at the Market Johannesburg in 2010Television production excerpts by Paul Tilsley and Competent Artistes. competentartistes.tv
The Suitcase by The Market Theatre Johannesburg
The Market Theatre Johannesburg present the UK premiere of The Suitcase. Touring to Hull Truck Theatre, Northern Stage, Derby Theatre, The Dukes Lancaster and Playhouse Liverpool.
In the Blood at the Joburg's Market Theatre
Pulitzer nominee theatre production, In the Blood is currently taking place at the Market theatre in Johannesburg. The acclaimed play tells the story of Hester La Negrita who is living under an inner city bridge with her five fatherless children. It tells the harsh reality of living in extreme poverty and their daily struggles. The role of Hester is played by fourth year Wits performance student Bathanswa Mbobo ,while she is accompanied by five other cast members who double as adults in Hester's life: her ex-boyfriend, her social worker, her doctor, her best friend and a reverend. .
For more news, visit: sabcnews.com
Sophiatown musical returns to Joburg's Market Theatre
Johannesburg, 25 March 2016 - The classic musical ‘Sophiatown’ is returning to the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. First performed in 1986, veteran director Malcom Purkey is bringing the memorable production to life once again.
EXCERPTS FROM 'ASINAMALI', ONSTAGE AT THE MARKET THEATRE JOHANNESBURG TILL 18 AUGUST 2013
ASINAMALI
16 Jul 2013 - 18 Aug 2013
Venue: Barney Simon Theatre at the Market Theatre
Age Restriction: 13
One of the greatest hits of the South African stage, the multi-award-winning musical drama, Asinamali!, is returning to the Market Theatre. A show of immense vitality, sadness and humour, makes for compelling theatre, mingling exhilarating dance and mime with hypnotic choral singing.
Written by Mbongeni Ngema, this is a tale of five black prisoners brought together in a South African prison. Each of these men have a story, as one gleefully tells of his affair with his white master`s wife; another lustily acts out the life of his hero, an urban con-man. Others tell of their frustrating, humiliating search for work permits. Others speak of their involvement with Dube`s movement, yet all spit out their contempt for the police informers who contributed to his death.
Directed by Market Theatre Laboratory graduate, Prince Lamla of Woza Albert!, this classic South African play was inspired by events that surrounded the 1983 rent strike in the Lamontville township, led by the martyred activist Msizi Dube, in which the rallying cry was `Asinamali!` - which is Zulu for ``We have no money!`` The play has since gone on to travel widely internationally and is one of the most important plays from apartheid South Africa.
For more information please visit our website, markettheatre.co.za or Tel: 011-832 1641 or book via Computicket.
Excerpts filmed by Competent Artistes, competentartistes.tv.
Woza Albert
Produced in 1981, Woza Albert is still a relevant play in 2017. Hamilton Dlhamini and Bheki Mkhwane bring the play to this year's National Arts Festival! The physical theater piece explores the different issues that South Africans had to endure under apartheid.