SA: Excitement builds ahead of Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards

ArtLab founder and creative director Mbongeni Mtshali will direct the awards while Portuguese-born pianist José Dias will be the musical director. 

The awards, which will be held at the Artscape Opera House in the Mother City on 10 March, will feature performances from Dias, Dizu Plaatjies, Nomfundo Xaluva, the Sibonele Dance Group, the Township Opera Company and Zip Zap Circus.

In early February, the organisers released the nominees ahead of the awards, which feature five musicals: Matilda the Musical, Tsotsi the Musical, Calling Us Home, King Kong and The Sound of Music. Leading the list in the musical categories with 11 nominations is Matilda the Musical followed by Tsotsi the Musical. Calling Us Home was nominated eight times while King Kong and The Sound of Music received one nomination apiece.

“In the same manner that the best grapes from the finest vineyards in the Cape Winelands are chosen for Fleur du Cap wines, the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards seek to recognise excellence in theatre,” Fleur du Cap winemaker Pieter Badenhorst said.

“Theatre-makers, much like our winemakers, select scripts, ideas and other raw materials to craft and create the desired sensory experience, and then offer it to audiences for their enjoyment. We are thrilled to support South African theatre-makers through our long and richly cultivated association.”

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Musical or Music Theatre Show

• Cameron Seear in Matilda the Musical as Bruce
• Conroy Scott in Calling Us Home as Ivan
• Daniel Mpilo Richards in West Side Story  as Bernardo
• Desmond Dube in King Kong as Pop
• Msizi Njapha in  Tsotsi the Musical as Boston

Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Musical or Music Theatre Show

• Bethany Dickson in  Matilda the Musical as Miss Honey
• Claire Taylor in Matilda the Musical as Mrs Wormwood
• Kgomotso Matsunyane in Tsotsi the Musical as Miriam
• Nompumelelo Mayiyane in Matilda the Musical as Mrs Phelps
• Thembisile Ntaka in Tsotsi the Musical as Adedola

Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical or Music Theatre Show

• Elton Landrew in Langarm as Eddie
• Kevin Hack in West Side Story as Tony
• Musanete Sakupwanya in Calling Us Home as Nelson
• Mxolisi 'Zuluboy' Majozi in Tsotsi the Musical as Tsotsi
• Ryan de Villiers in Matilda the Musical as Miss Trunchbull

Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical or Music Theatre Show

• Carmen Pretorius in The Sound of Music as Maria Rainer
• Kim Louis in Langarm as Dinah
• Kitty Harris in Matilda the Musical as Matilda
• Lynelle Kenned in Calling Us Home as Grace
• Rushney Ferguson in Langarm as Angelina

Best Sound Design, Original Music Composition or Original Score

• Gertjie Besselen for Bal-oog en Brommel: Moord in Ixiastraat for Original Music
• James Webb for The Demon Bride for Soundscape
• Lukhanyiso Skosana for Womb of Fire for Original Music Performance
• Marcel Bezuidenhout for Tsotsi The Musical for Sound Design
• Simon Baker for Matilda the Musical for Sound Design

Best Theatre Production for Children and Young People

• Alice in Wonderland (Canal Walk)
• Vlooi en die Musiekfabriek/Kipper and the Music Factory (Marinda Engelbrecht & Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck)

Best Puppetry Design

• Janni Younge & Craig Lee for the Baby in Tsotsi the Musical

Best Lighting Design

• Craig Leo & Sara Matchett for Womb of Fire
• Faheem Bardien for Ruth First: 117 Days
• Gareth Hewitt Williams for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
• Hugh Vanstone for Matilda the Musical
• Kobus Rossouw for Kinnes

Best Set Design

• Chris Pienaar for Oleanna
• Jemma Kahn & Kanya Viljoen for Swerfgoed
• Michael Mitchell & Neil Coppen for Tsotsi The Musical
• Rob Howell for Matilda the Musical
• Saul Radomsky for The Road to Mecca

Best Costume Design

• Andrea van der Kuil & Sue Steele for Curse of the Starving Class
• Birrie le Roux for Endgame
• Marcel Meyer for Sweet Bird of Youth
• Noluthando Lobese Moropa for Tsotsi The Musical
• Rob Howell for Matilda the Musical

Best Production

• Endgame (Baxter Theatre & Derek Lubner)
• Curse of the Starving Class (Baxter Theatre Centre & SU Woordfees)
• Kudu (Baxter Theatre Centre & Magnet Theatre)
• Matilda the Musical (Pieter Toerien Productions & GWB Entertainment)
• Womb of Fire (The Mothertongue Project)

Award for Most Promising Student

• Carlo Daniels (Magnet Theatre)
• Cassandra-Tendai Mapanda (The Centre for Theatre, Drama and Preformance Studies, UCT)
• Du Toit Albertze (US)
• Lerato Makuwa (AFDA)
• Nancy Sekhokoane (AFDA)

Best New South African Script

• Bauke Snyman for Swerfgoed
• Chase Rhys for Kinnes
• Louis Viljoen for Dangled
• Lwanda Sindaphi for Kudu
• Rehane Abrahams for Womb of Fire

Best New Director

• Gideon Lombard
• Lesedi Job
• Lwanda Sindaphi
• Qondiswa James
• Tinarie van Wyk Loots

Best Performance by an Ensemble

• The cast of Bal-oog en Brommel: Moord in Ixiastraat
• The cast of Gertrude Stein and A Companion
• The cast of Kinnes
• The cast of Kudu
• The cast of Sainthood

Best Performance in a Revue, Cabaret or One-person Show

• Daniel Mpilo Richards in Land Acts in Various Roles
• Dorothy Ann Gould in The Year of Magical Thinking as Joan Didion
• James Cairns in The Devil and Billy Markham in Various Roles
• Rehane Abrahams in Womb of Fire in Various Roles
• Rob van Vuuren in Dangled as Poprishchin

Best Performance in an Opera – Male

• Aubrey Lodewyk in Mandela Trilogy as Mandela 3
• Bongani Kubheka in Don Pasquale as Don Pasquale
• Lukhanyo Moyake in Mandela Trilogy as Justice
• Lunga Hallam in Don Pasquale as Ernesto
• Makudupanyane Senaoana in Maria Stuarda as Robert Leicester

Best Performance in an Opera – Female

• Brittany Smith in Der Fledermaus as Adele
• Brittany Smith in Don Pasquale as Norina
• Janelle Visagie in La Voix Humaine as Elle
• Violina Anguelov in Maria Stuarda as Elisabetta
• Vuvu Mpofu in Maria Stuarda as Maria Stuarda

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play

• Antony Coleman in Curse of the Starving Class as Taylor
• Richard September in Swerfgoed in Various Roles
• Rob van Vuuren in Curse of the Starving Class as Ellis/Slater
• Roberto Pombo in Curse of the Starving Class as Wesley Tate
• Soli Philander in Endgame as Nagg

Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play

• Ann Juries in The Taming of the Shrew as Grumio
• Antoinette Kellermann in Endgame as Nell
• Emily Child in The Road to Mecca as Elsa Barlow
• Lesoko Seabe in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time as Siobhan
• Nicole Holm in Swerfgoed as Aegistha

Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Play

• Anna-Mart van der Merwe in Swerfgoed as Esta
• Fiona Ramsay in Sweet Bird of Youth as Princess Kosmonopolis
• Nicole Fortuin in Oleanna as Carol
• Qondiswa James in A Faint Patch of Light as The Lover
• Sandra Prinsloo in The Road to Mecca as Miss Helen

Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Play

• Alan Committie in Oleanna as John
• Andrew Buckland in Endgame as Hamm
• Kai Luke Brümmer in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time as Christopher Boone
• Neil McCarthy in Curse of the Starving Class as Weston Tate
• Rob van Vuuren in Endgame as Clov

Best Director

• Greg Karvellas for Oleanna
• Sara Matchett for Womb of Fire
• Sylvaine Strike for Curse of the Starving Class
• Sylvaine Strike for Endgame
• Tinarie van Wyk Loots for Swerfgoed