THE PROMISE

Star-studded team brings world première of Damon Galgut’s THE PROMISE to the stage, directed by Sylvaine Strike

Club Dezza Productions and The Market Theatre present Damon Galgut’s THE PROMISE on stage.

In what is one of the most thrilling theatre highlights of the year, the stage production of Damon Galgut’s Booker Prize-winning novel, THE PROMISE, had its world premiere in Cape Town this September. After rave reviews and a number of sold-out performances, it now comes to The Market Theatre for a strictly limited season.

Featuring a star-studded South African cast and creative team, the production is directed by internationally acclaimed, multiple award-winning director Sylvaine Strike.

THE PROMISE is presented at The Market Theatre on The John Kani stage from 19 October to 5 November 2023. It is written by Damon Galgut, directed by Sylvaine Strike with stage adaptation by Damon Galgut and Sylvaine Strike.

Book Tickets

@TheMarketTheatre ·
markettheatre

Facebook

Instagram

The dazzling cast line-up is: Rob van Vuuren (Curse of the Starving Class, Endgame) as Anton; Kate Normington (Tali’s Baby Diaries, Storm in a B-Cup) as Ma and Maman; Frank Opperman (Ouboet and Wors, Toutjies en Ferreira) as Pa/Rabbi/Moti; Chuma Sopotela (Standard Bank Young Artist, Karoo Moose) as Salome; Cintaine Schutte (Die Seemeeu, Fynskrif, Tien Duisend Ton) as Tannie Marina/Desiree; Jenny Stead (The Glass Menagerie, Elesin Oba) as Astrid; Albert Pretorius (Die Seemeeu, Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, Tien Duisend Ton) as Dominee Simms/ Ockie/ Dean/ Jake/ Father Batty; Sanda Shandu (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Unlikely Secret Agent) as Lukas/Bob/Politician and Jane de Wet (Spoorloos, The Watch) as Amor.

The dream creative team is completed with Sound Design and Original Music Composition by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder (King Kong); Set and Lighting Design by Josh Lindberg (Cruise); Costume Design by Penny Simpson (The Producers) and Choreography by Natalie Fisher (Free Flight Dance Company).

In a discussion process spanning almost two years, Galgut and Strike identified a visual language through which this seminal family drama unfolds, supported by a uniquely chorus-driven narration.

Director Sylvaine Strike says, “Funny, confrontational and powerful, this production gives the novel a whole new life. It will speak to audiences in the most intimate way possible.” She adds, “It’s been an honor to work with the script penned by Damon, which harnesses his novel in all its beauty, humour and devastation. He is a master storyteller, writing remarkable prose with a profoundly complex understanding of human relationships.”

Greg Homann, the Artistic Director of the iconic Market Theatre, adds, “Having Damon Galgut’s compelling story on stage at the Market Theatre immediately after its world premiere in Cape Town is simply wonderful for our audience. We are thrilled to be partnering on the production, and to welcome Sylvaine and the exceptional cast and creative team to Johannesburg for this theatrical telling of one of the most celebrated novels of our time.”

“I am a great fan of Sylvaine’s work,” Galgut comments. “The detailed physical transformations, vivid imagery, pathos and hilarity of her productions remain in audience’s hearts long after a show has ended. Her directorial signature, seen in her work on productions such as Beckett’s Endgame, Firefly, Molière’s Tartuffe, and Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class, draws on the poetry of the performer’s body as primary story teller. She is the perfect director to bring The Promise to life on stage!’

Galgut was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize for THE PROMISE in 2021. It is only the third time a South African writer has been given that honor.

The story: On a small farm outside Pretoria, the Swart family – “a typical bunch of white South Africans” – tries to hold itself together through the violent lurches of recent history. They have promised to give a small piece of land with a tiny house on it to Salome, the Sotho woman who has worked for them her whole life. A worthless property, but still, they will not give it up.

Are they cursed, or just unlucky? One by one, members of the family die, while everything around them changes and they try to stay the same. Only two siblings will eventually be left, facing each other over a great divide: Anton, the tormented older brother, and Amor, his strange younger sister.

Book now to ensure you don’t miss one of the must-see cultural events of the year!

To make block bookings and for discounts please contact Anthony Ezeoke 011 832 1641ext 203/ 083 246 4950

For further information, interviews and images, contact:

Brand and Communications Manager: Lusanda Zokufa 072 367 7867 or lusandaz@markettheatre.co.za

Join the conversation on social media:

#thepromiseonstage

Facebook: The Promise On Stage

Instagram: @thepromiseonstage

ENDS

Book Tickets

@TheMarketTheatre ·
markettheatre

Facebook

Instagram

NOTES TO EDITORS

Damon Galgut

Damon Galgut’s latest novel, The Promise, was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize for 2021. Two other novels of Galgut, The Good Doctor, and In a Strange Room, have also previously been shortlisted for this prize. Hailed in the press as one of the world’s finest writers, Galgut published his first novel at seventeen and since then his work has been translated into 34 languages. Two films were made of his book The Quarry. Locally, his previous novel, Arctic Summer, was awarded the Sunday Times Fiction Prize. Galgut is also a past winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the Africa region. He lives and works in Cape Town.

Sylvaine Strike

www.fortunecookietheatre.com

Sylvaine Strike graduated in performance from the University of Cape Town’s Drama School and went on to specialize in physical theatre and movement analysis at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

Her very particular work as performer, director, theatre maker and teacher has moved hearts

and minds since her first break-through at the National Arts Festival in 2002, when she directed and co-devised the runaway success Baobabs Don’t Grow Here for which she was awarded the Fleur du Cap Best New Director 2004 and the Total Theatre Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003.

From these humble beginnings, critically acclaimed work continued to follow, earning her a list of award-winning productions in which she either performed or directed: Black and Blue; TheTravellers; Coupé; The Butcher Brothers; The Table; The Miser; Tobacco; CARGO: Precious; Agreed; Miss Dietrich Regrets; Dop; Tartuffe by Molière; Curse of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard, the highly acclaimed Endgame by Samuel Beckett, Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig, and most recently- the resoundingly successful Firefly devised by the company and nominated for 4 Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards.

ENDS

Book Tickets

Poetry Africa 2023

Centre for Creative Arts in association with Windybrow Arts Centre (MTF) presents Poetry Africa 2023

We invite Spoken Word Artists and Poets across the city to an open call poetry slam on the 06^th of May 2023. As part of the experience, 20 participants will be selected to take part in a two-day facilitated workshop in preparation for the final showcase on the 20^th of May which will be held at the Kippies Theatre as part of our annual Africa Month festivities.

For our festival and the Poetry Africa Spoken Word festival we will posit the question of Place, Person and Language. Central to this theme will be conversations around the celebration, acknowledgement and critique in the realms of Queerness, Africanity and how language (universal and/or localised) is exploited to construct notions of belonging, displacement, oppression and/or separation. Considering South Africa’s history of violence and xenophobia (through our sometimes eschewed views of the rainbow nation) we find an opportune moment, through this festival, to re-imagine what difference and unity can look like.

@TheMarketTheatre ·

markettheatre

What is it to be made feel strange, in a strange place whilst feeling strange within yourself. This is then to posit that queerness is an experience of strangeness to those that don’t understand it and systematically plays itself out via violent acts of displacement, dislocation and the persistent pursuit of borders. This festival aims to be a container of difference and multiplicities – specifically queer identities, migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and locals – moreover a place of celebration of said diverse communities through artistic explorations and presentation.

One lucky finalist will be selected from the showcase and get the opportunity for an all expenses paid trip to the 2023 Poetry Africa Festival hosted by UKZN and the Centre for Creative Arts.

Event details:

Poetry Africa Open Call

Date: 6 May 2023

Venue: Kippies Theatre, Market Theatre Precinct

Time: 10am

Theme: Centralising Place, Person and Language in the realm of Queer.

The competition is open to participants between the ages of 18-35 and must reside in the Gauteng province. Full details and rules can be found on our website at marketartscentre.co.za

Competition rules:

Entrants for the open call on the 6th of May 2023 are encouraged to arrive 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the event for registration purposes
Poets are welcome to interpret the theme as broadly and openly to their understanding
Poetry performed on stage should be the original work written and performed by the poet.
Poets are allowed to present work written in any of the official South African languages
20 poets will be selected for a two day workshop to take place on the 18^th and 19^th of May, the selected poets need to ensure that they are available on said day
The chosen 20 poets will participate in a showcase on the 20^th of May, where one winner will be selected to participate in the main event in October 2023, taking place in Durban.
The judges will select one winner from the finalists who will be invited to perform at the Poetry Africa festival in October. The Poetry Africa festival will cover travel, accommodation and per diem costs as well as pay the poet a performance fee
Poets will be judged on the below criteria:

Quality of the poem

Relevance to the theme

Style and impact of delivery of the poem

Originality of the work.

Registration will begin at 8:30am on the 6^th of May 2023
All poets will be called up to perform following the registration list.

Can Black Man Talk About Love

Johannesburg, Gauteng, April 27th 2023

Maakomele R Manaka affectionately known as ‘MAK’, a renowned South African Poet, is launching his own publishing house and his online store, after finally reclaimed all his previously published works. Manaka Publications will officially be launched in Johannesburg on the 27^h April 2023.

The day will also double up as a media launch and launch pad for his current project under Manaka Publications, called, Translating the Protea. Manaka’s third literary delivery titled Flowers of a Broken Smile published 2016 has been translated into three different South African languages, Sepedi, Afrikaans and Xhosa. Translating the Protea will tour to the three Provinces, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and North West, visiting high schools and Universities respectively.

Nape Motana, Sepedi translator is a member of Medupe Writers’ Association, PEN, African Writers’ Association and Congress of South African Writers, and a poet published in inter alia, Staffrider, New Classic and The Return of the Amasi Bird.

Ayanda Billie the Xhosa translator is a writer/poet – born in the township of KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage Kariega, where he still lives and is the co-founder of Mandela Bay Book Fair.

Pieter Odendaal the Afrikaans translator is a South African poet, playwright, translator and editor. He was the director of InZync Poetry from 2015-2019, a poetry organization based in the English Studies Department at Stellenbosch University and he currently teaches Creative Writing at North-West University in Potchefstroom.

“Flowers of a Broken Smile, Maakomele Manaka’s third literary offering, is an extended riff of feminine aspects of love and life” said Lebo Mashile in the forward of the book. “Translating the Protea is a project that allows accessibility of the literature in our home languages, allowing us to converse better.” Said Maakomele Manaka.

About the Publisher:

Maakomele R. Manaka is a Soweto born poet with a strong artistic heritage. South African icon Don Mattera said “If genius can be genetically connected and if it flows from generation to generation, then Mak Manaka is the epitome of it. He comes from a dynasty of talented, creative and gifted people Nomsa and Matsemela”.

He has published four collections of poetry If Only (self-published, 2003. Edited by Don Mattera), In Time (Geko,2009. Edited by Andrew Miller) Flowers of A Broken Smile (InkSword 2016) and Oncoming Traffic (Botsotso 2018. Ed. by Allan Horwitz).

ENDS

For more information contact: Mpume Imani Kotane

071 577 9436

imanikainc@gmail.com

THE AFRICAN JAZZ PIONEERS & THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS

THE AFRICAN JAZZ PIONEERS & THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS LIVE AT THE MARKET THEATRE THIS MAY!

Two of South Africa’s most enduring and well-loved groups have teamed up for a new album which will be launched with a series of concerts at The Market Theatre. Their new album Hello Hello “A Forty Year Anniversary”, will be released on Freedom Day (April 27) on all digital platforms. Incredible as it may seem, the album brings together these two iconic South African groups for the very first time. The album, produced by Dan Chiorboli and two-time Grammy Award winner John Lindemann, includes a mix of reworked old favorites and new songs recorded in a contemporary style which preserves the groups’ traditional identities and retains the soul and emotion of both groups’ originality.

The album will be followed up by three live concerts at The Market Theatre, a venue that has been closely associated with both groups during their long and illustrious careers.

The Market Theatre concerts take place in May (Friday 5 & Saturday 6 at 7.30 pm). Tickets are R150 pp to make block bookings and discounts please contact Anthony Ezeoke 011 832 1641ext 203/ 083 246 4950.

@TheMarketTheatre ·

markettheatre

Background

The African Jazz Pioneers celebrate their 40^th Anniversary as a group in 2023 and have provided the musical tapestry for the South African liberation movement over the last forty years.

The late Ntemi Piliso, leader and founding member, nourished the group from their humble roots to their current international acclaim. In the early 1950s, Ntemi and his “Alexandra All-Star Band” were at the cutting edge of South Africa’s proud music scene, blending American urban big band style with traditional Majuba and Marabi music influences. It seems incredible that the background to the African Jazz Pioneers stretches way back to the fifties when jazz was in fashion and big bands were the name of the game – and Sophiatown and Dorkay House were well-known melting pots of colour and culture.

After the easing of the cultural boycott in 1990, the African Jazz Pioneers were among the first to travel abroad, headlining jazz venues, festivals and concerts in Europe, Australia, Japan and Africa. They shared the stage with artists like global stars such as Youssou N’Dour, Quincy Jones, Manhattan Transfer, The Neville Brothers, Chick Corea, Gilberto Gil, Salif Keita, Nina Simone and Rita and Ziggy Marley.

Led by Mpho Sithole, the current Pioneers line-up includes some of the original veterans together with a rhythm section of fresh young talents who are learning from the masters but incorporating their own influences into the Pioneers’ unique sound.

It is true to say that the group has reached everybody in South Africa, from hipsters to liberation movements.

The original Mahotella Queens were formed in 1964 and are noted by their distinct vocal harmony sound, guitar-led mbaqanga music, and fast stage dancing.

With Hilda Tloubatla an ever-present member from the very beginning, the Queens remained productive and popular into the 1970s and 1980s with a revolving cast often led by the deep-voiced male vocals of Simon ‘Mahlathini’ Nkabinde. In combination with the late Mahlathini, renowned for his deep and “groaning” vocals, the group forged a successful international touring career that lasts to this day.

The Mahotella Queens are prolific recording artists, dating back to the hundreds of recordings produced at Gallo-Mavuthela during their heyday in the 1960s and 1970s. The Queens remained with Gallo until 2005 when they joined Content Connect Africa, an independent company led by former Gallo director Antos Stella.

During the mid-1980s, a stream of Western musical projects including the seminal compilation The Indestructible Beat of Soweto and Paul Simon’s Graceland album led to the Queens performing in France at the Musique Metisse Festival in Angouleme, Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday at London’s Wembley Stadium and at many of Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD festivals around the world.

The current line-up consists of the legendary Hilda Tloubatla together with Amanda Nkosi and Nonku Maseko, both from Springs on the East Rand.

For any media enquiries please contact: Acting Brand and Communications Manager:

Lusanda Zokufa 072 367 7867 or lusandaz@markettheatre.co.za

Part-time Screenwriting

06 May 2023

R2750

This year, the Market Theatre Laboratory and TsaMmu offers an introduction to a Screenwriting Course. This course sets out to help aspiring writers better understand key concepts necessary to developing story for Screen. Along with learning core screenwriting skills, participants will also get the opportunity to write their own short film. This will be done with help from our industry-expert course facilitator, Omphile Molusi.

This course begins in 6 May 2023 – 10 June 2023 and runs for 6 weeks. Participants will meet once a week for 3 hours. NB: Participants are required to have their own laptop.

Feel like joining Part-time Screenwriting: Cycle 2? Registration is done through Webtickets

Introduction to Screen Acting

Introduction to Screen Acting: Cycle 2

12 Aug 2023 – 4 Nov2023

R3500

This part-time introductory course focuses on acting techniques specifically for television and film. Over 12 3-hour sessions on Saturday afternoons, students will learn skills of script analysis, characterisation, and acting craft by working practically with an experienced facilitator. Through the process of exploring various texts, and recording and analysing on-screen performances, students will develop their understanding of acting techniques, develop their own acting process, and receive feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. 12 August 2023 – 4 November 2023

#NB Once you have purchased and register for classes kindly note they will be no refund.

NKUKZA’S BIRTHDAY COMEDY NIGHT

NKUKZA'S BIRTHDAY COMEDY NIGHT

In celebration of Nkukza’s birthday, Nkukza presents a night of fun, laughter and entertainment on the 28^th of April 2023.

This event promises to get you rolling off your seats with Top Tier South African Comedy acts that are well known for leaving long-lasting smiles.

ACTS INCLUDE: MASHABELA | PELEPELE | SALESMAN

Get your Pre-Booked tickets today to secure a seat for you and your loved ones.

For more information, Contact:

Nkululeko Phiri – 079 728 3173

Kgomo – 064 675 0732

Email: nkululekoxufflephiri@gmail.com

The Market Theatre Foundation announces Greg Homann’s first programme as Artistic Director

The Market Theatre Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Homann as its Artistic Director. The choice of Homann for this important role signals the ambition of the Foundation to position itself at the apex of artistic performance. Homann brings a wealth of experience as a director, writer, mentor and cultural historian to this role.

The Play Development Programme is a major focus of the announcement, aimed at developing and harnessing the talent of the next wave of South African playwrights. The call-out for applications are for Workshop Collectives, Scripts, Associate Playwrights, and Writers. This includes the offer of mentorship and masterclasses from some of South Africa’s most established and celebrated playwrights, including the likes of Fatima Dike, Craig Higginson, Phyllis Klotz, Smal Ndaba, and Paul Slabolepszy.

Homann said, “We will be selecting 12 Associate Playwrights and 8 writers for this first cycle, with a focus on supporting women writers and writers who have experience in mediums other than theatre. We are also inviting workshop collectives to make use of The Market’s space and resources leading to showcases of their new work.”

The Artistic Director is inviting writers who already have unproduced full-length plays to submit them for consideration and feedback. Homann added, “As part of this call-out, we are looking for fresh and compelling scripts that showcase a unique South African voice.” Up to 60 plays will be selected to receive a Reader’s Report.

Homann has bold plans for the Market Theatre and has indicated that he intends to hit the ground running. “Soon after taking up the role, I want to initiate a multi-pronged new plays development programme aimed at writers, playwrights, and theatre-makers of all experience levels. Let’s invest time and energy into preparing our untold stories for future production.”

Homann has deep respect for the history of the Market Theatre Foundation and he has expressed his desire to tap into this deep well of historical goodwill. “For almost 50 years The Market Theatre Foundation has served as an unflinching platform for the very best actors, performance artists, directors, playwrights, theatre-makers, designers, and visual artists in this country. It has given our most socially engaged and politically conscious storytellers a voice. I believe a significant part of the job is to open the door to the next generation of such artists,” adds Homann.

Prior to his appointment at The Market Theatre Foundation, Homann brought his decisive leadership style to institutions such as The Wits School of Arts and AFDA Johannesburg where he was the Head of the School of Live Performance. Homann was for a time Resident Dramaturg at The South African State Theatre.

In the USA he has served as dramaturg on Syracuse Stage’s 2021 production of Athol Fugard’s ‘MASTER HAROLD’…AND THE BOYS and has more recently been working with San Jose Stage in California on the world-premiere of L. Peter Callender’s STRANGE COURTESIES.

His past productions at The Market Theatre are LORD OF THE FLIES, BROTHERS IN BLOOD, DELIRIUM, FLORENCE, and THE LESSON. Other career highlights to date include A VOICE I CANNOT SILENCE, a five-man version of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, PTERODACTYLS, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, AIDA ABRIDGED, OEDIPUS @ KOÖ-NÚ!, and creating IN OUR SKIN under commission as Associate Artist at the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in the UK which drew on verbatim interviews to depict the lives of gay men living in Birmingham and Johannesburg.

In 2014 Homann was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Theatre. His productions have been nominated for over forty awards, winning two Standard Bank Ovation awards, and twelve Naledi Theatre Awards including Best New South African Play and two for Best Cutting-Edge Production.

For interviews and more images contact:

Lusanda Zokufa, Acting Brand and Communications Manager 072 367 7867 or lusandaz@markettheatre.co.za

Actor Wena Part-Time Acting Classes

Actor Wena Part-Time Acting Classes Cycle 3

12 Aug 2023 – 4 Nov 023

R2750

This course is an introduction to acting for people who have no previous experience, or for people who want to practise and hone their existing skills. Students meet over 12 classes on a Saturday morning from 9:00 to 12:00, from 12 August 2023 – 4 November 2023 Students explore acting concepts of character, relationship, objective and environment, through the selection and rehearsal of a monologue, which they perform for a public audience at the end of the cycle.

Please note once you purchase this ticket they will be no refund

Resilience Exhibition

The Market Photo Workshop, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, will host the Resilience Exhibition in the Newtown Precinct.

The special exhibition showcases a selection of stories, awarded in the World Press Photo Contests from 2000 to 2021, that highlight the resilience and challenges of women, girls and communities around the world.

Join us for our opening event: Wednesday 8^th of March 2023 at 17h00.

The exhibition will be up until the 29^th of March 2023 at the Market Theatre Precinct, Newtown.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.