Behind the hilarity of The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)!, currently playing at Durban High School’s Seabrooks Theatre, lies a true love for the troubadour’s work.
“We were exposed to it in college, and we know how great his work is even after he left college,” said the founding member of Actors Unemployed Company (AUC). Clinton Small says. “For me, Shakespeare’s plays are all about the greatness of acting.”
Small, who has thrilled audiences in KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg in recent years with his portrayal of the villain Iago in Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello (presented by Think Theater Company), says his work inspires actors to explore complexity and variety. He says that he is providing an opportunity to play a unique role. -Let’s layer letters while using beautiful words.
“I would really love to be able to perform Shakespeare all year round,” he added.
AUC was born in 2007. That’s when Small, Mark Kaye, and Adam Dore decided to cram as much of the Bard’s work into their heads as possible and busk at the Witness Hilton Arts Festival.
Their efforts were a huge hit with the audience, and soon afterwards they were approached by a friend of Kay’s in Namibia who wanted to host a drama festival at St. Paul’s School.
“We acquired the rights to Compleat Works and organized some workshops for older students in schools, and it went well. So we approached Grahamstown and local schools to see if they were interested. ,” says Kay.
This has seen actors delight visitors at the National Arts Festival, the Witness Hilton Arts Festival and just last year at the inaugural St Thomas Aquinas Schools Festival at Witbank. It was the beginning of a long journey.
They returned to school this September and are working on a new production, A Guide To The Theatre. This work will be similar in style to Complete Works, but will also cover other famous theatrical works.
Mr Small, who attended Kingsway High School and later studied at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Howard College campus, was asked to choose his favorite Shakespeare play and said: “It’s hard to choose a favorite tragedy. Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. I have to choose one, but my comedy choice is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Kay, who is originally from Cape Town and graduated with a degree in drama from UKZN University of Durban, chose Macbeth, Richard III and The Taming of the Shrew as her favorites, while Dre, also a UKZN graduate, chose Macbeth, Richard III and The Taming of the Shrew as favorites. ” and “The Comedy of Errors.”
In addition to the Shakespeare parody, AUC will be presenting two other festival productions in the coming weeks. Kay and Doerr will be presenting their new children’s show The Pied Piper in Durban’s Eden College Hall from 1 July to 15 July from 10am.
The show is aimed at children under the age of 10 and retells the Pied Piper story with a twist. “We’ve improved on the original by giving Pied Piper a few more challenges. There’s a lot of audience interaction and jokes that will appeal to adults as well,” Kay said.
Tickets cost a flat R40 and there is secure parking on the school grounds. For tickets please call Kay on 072 435 8725 or buy at the door.
Dore and Kaye will also perform Birdman, a charming one-handed play that debuted at last year’s I Love Durban Festival. The play, written and directed by Kaye, tells the story of Augustus St. John Meriwether, a young man who enjoys the challenge of separating people from their money.
With the advent of automobiles and steam locomotives, he thinks he may have come up with the best scam idea ever: to get people to invest in airplanes. His idea is to collect as much cash as possible from “investors” and then leave Boston with his sister Rebecca for the bright streets of New York City.
But when Rebecca leaves him because she no longer wants to deceive him, Augustus is distraught, angry, and determined to prove him wrong.
“We worked pretty hard on the script,” Kaye said. “I felt some of the script was a little sloppy in places. From a director’s perspective, I wanted less monologue and more narration.”
“Birdman” runs from July 5th to July 15th at the Catalina Theater in Wilson’s Wharf. Tickets cost R65 (concession included).
To book, please visit www.strictlytickets. com or call Catalina Theater on 031 305 6889.
• AUC is offering Witness readers the opportunity to see tonight’s play for free. The first three people to call Mark Kay (072 435 8725) after 9am this morning and say ‘I love The Witness!’ will win free tickets to tonight’s performance at 7.30pm. Two pieces each will be presented.
•[email protected]
See the complete production of Wllm Shkspr (summary)! Playing today and tomorrow at 7:30pm at DHS’s Seabrooks Theater and at Wilson’s Wharf’s Catalina Theater from July 19th to July 29th be done. Tickets cost R75 (R50 for students, pensioners and bulk bookings) and can be booked by calling Seabrooks. Call 031 277 1570.
