Feature: Celebrating theatre at the 57TH FLEUR DU CAP THEATRE AWARDS at Nederburg

On Sunday 27 March - World Theatre Day - the 57th edition of the FLEUR DU CAP THEATRE AWARDS took place at Nederburg in Paarl. It was definitely a night to remember as Cape Town's theatre makers came out in force to celebrate after being locked down for two years.

What a joy it was to acknowledge those who have continued to create and spark imagination during such a difficult period when the industry suffered so much. However, the night was also bittersweet as we took time to acknowledge everyone and everything the industry had lost in the last two years. Chairperson of the panel of judges and host for the ceremony Africa Melane put it so beautifully when said those artists are now our "angels and ancestors fighting for us every day".

One of the most inspiring quotes from the evening came from Lizelle Malan of Distell, the sponsors of the annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, "For the theatrical fraternity to gather in person after two years, is an experience of joy. Yes, it is suffused with sadness after so much suffering. But it comes as a signal of hope, a mark of return to vitality of an industry severely battered by Covid, venue closures, loss of life and income. We know there is still a long road to recovery, but the greatest tribute we can pay to the courage of those who belong to the South African stage is to continue the fight until theatre is back in full force."

The ceremony saw three recipients of the Fleur du Cap Lifetime Achievement Award - one for each year that the event was unable to be held and then this year's recipient:

2020 - Fatima Dike
2021 - Janice Honeyman
2022 - Sandra Prinsloo

It was a true privilege to be at the ceremony and hear from all three of these extraordinary women.

For the full list of the winners and the official press release from the event, keep on reading:

Winners were announced in 19 categories this year. Musical performances in plays were merged with those in musicals and music shows, given the limited number of musical events staged in 2020 and 2021.

BEST NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCRIPT

Qondiswa James | A Howl in Makhanda

BEST NEW DIRECTOR

Sipenathi Siqwayi | Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE

Wessel Pretorius & David Viviers | The Waterworks Anthology | Various roles

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE, CABARET OR ONE-PERSON SHOW

Sandra Prinsloo | Spertyd | Elsa Joubert

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Wolf Britz | Valsrivier

BEST SET DESIGN

Fred Abrahamse & Marcel Meyer | The Lady Aoi

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Fred Abrahamse & Marcel Meyer | The Lady Aoi

BEST SOUND DESIGN, ORIGINAL MUSIC, SOUNDSCAPE OR LIVE PERFORMANCE

Jannous Aukema | A Howl in Makhanda | Sound design and original composition

BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA - MALE

Makudupanyane Senaoana | Curlew River | Madwoman

BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA - FEMALE

Siphokazi Molteno | Così fan tutte | Dorabella

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY, MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION

Siya Mayola | Master Harold... and the Boys | Willie

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY, MUSICAL OR MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION

Peggy Tunyiswa | Valsrivier | Mary Dlamini

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY, MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION

Anna-Mart van der Merwe | Valsrivier | Sandra Botha

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY, MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION

Desmond Dube | Master Harold... and the Boys | Sam

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul du Toit | The Unlikely Secret Agent

BEST PRODUCTION

Pieter Toerien Productions | The Producers

AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING STUDENT

Byron McKeith | Northlink College

AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN THEATRE

The Magnet Theatre's Early Years Programme

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Sandra Prinsloo

Winning this year's Fleur du Cap Lifetime Achievement Award was not the only triumph for multi-talented theatre doyenne Sandra Prinsloo at tonight's (27 March) prestige gala ceremony at Nederburg in Paarl.

The much-loved and widely awarded actress of the stage as well as the big and small screen, also took the 2022 award for best performer in a one-person show. This was for her depiction of Elsa Joubert in Spertyd, the stage adaptation of the famous South African writer's memoir on ageing, loss and acceptance.

Prinsloo (74) had excelled on stage, in local and international film and on TV over many years, said Lizelle Malan of Distell, the sponsors of the annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards. "During the course of her rich and varied career, Ms Prinsloo has played an extensive array of characters, imbuing them all with individuality, humanity, nuance and depth. She has been a mentor and inspiration to generations of actors and has contributed readily and generously to South African theatre. She has played no small part in the international recognition it enjoys.

"Her re-imagining of author Elsa Joubert with such steely grace, humour and courage in Spertyd is just one example of her immense talent. We are proud to be associated with her well-deserved achievement and hope she continues to bring her talents to audiences long into the future."

Africa Melane, chairperson of the panel of judges said: "Sandra Prinsloo delivers in equal measure an exceptional intellect, astounding talent and an impeccable work ethic, performing great female roles in Shakespeare, Chekov, Williams and Strindberg. Her work in plays by P G du Plessis, Bartho Smit, Rachelle Greeff and Nico Scheepers has been equally memorable."

Prinsloo already holds the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) Lifetime Achievement Award for Theatre, given in 2013. In 2014, she received the Order of Ikhamanga (silver) from Government. Melane noted that at the time she was lauded not only for her excellent contribution to the performing arts but also for her use of the creative arts to take a stand against racism. She was hailed as "the pride of the country's cultural community".

In 2018, she won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naledi Theatre Awards.

Hers was not the only multi-win of the gala presentation night, dubbed a bittersweet occasion by Malan.

"For the theatrical fraternity to gather in person after two years, is an experience of joy. Yes, it is suffused with sadness after so much suffering. But it comes as a signal of hope, a mark of return to vitality of an industry severely battered by Covid, venue closures, loss of life and income. We know there is still a long road to recovery, but the greatest tribute we can pay to the courage of those who belong to the South African stage is to continue the fight until theatre is back in full force.

"What gives us optimism is not just the depth of local talent but also its thrilling range. Many new names join the ranks of the country's foremost artists. Young and experienced players performing mainstream and experimental, classical and new works of both international and indigenous origin show an industry rich in opportunity and mentorship, ensuring its longevity."

Valsrivier, adapted from the novel by Dominique Botha, was the most highly awarded production of the night. Anna-Mart van der Merwe won the award for best actress, Peggy Tunyiswa, for best supporting actress and Wolf Britz, for best lighting design.

Amongst the double-award winners was A Howl in Makhanda, a semi-autobiographical play about safety and surveillance, written and directed by Qondiswa James, who also won the award for best new South African script. Composer Jannous Aukema won for the play's best sound design and original composition.

The Lady Aoi, presented by Abrahamse & Meyer Productions won for both best set design and best costume design in the local mounting of Yukio Mishima's modern Noh masterpiece.

Presented by Eric Abraham and the now defunct Fugard Theatre, the staging of Athol Fugard's Master Harold... and the Boys also produced two wins, with Desmond Dube taking the title for best lead actor and Siya Mayola, for best supporting actor.

Malan said the sponsors were especially proud to be involved in the showcasing and advancing of local new talent in Sipenathi Siqwayi, who directed Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko! (Catch, Brother! It's Hard, Brother!), a two-hander in isiXhosa and English.

"Makudupanyane Senaoana's win as best male singer in Curlew River and Siphokazi Molteno's as best female singer in the opera Così fan tutte, highlight yet another generation of voices coming into their own as they give expression to international classics."

Malan also commended the Magnet Theatre that won this year's Award for Innovation in Theatre for its Early Years Theatre Incubator Project. Since 2014, Magnet Theatre has been developing African theatre for pre-school audiences. It not only creates and incubates new uniquely South African and African work for staging locally and abroad but also provides training in acting and stagecraft.

Melane stressed that developing and nurturing audiences for the future was essential to the sustainability of the industry. "The creation of new work for children ranging from zero to seven years of age can only be lauded. Often it is this work that provides audiences with their very first encounter with live performance. Can you imagine a greater honour as a performer?"

Magnet Theatre has toured extensively on the continent as well as abroad with productions incubated in the project, exposing their full-time trainees to collaborations with trainee participants from Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Photo credit: supplied

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