Magnet Theatre to Present SCOOP, EKHAYA and KNOCK! for Young Audiences, 2-12 Dec

Magnet Theatre, one of South Africa's longest standing and most celebrated theatre companies, presents an exciting South African first as part of its Early Years Theatre Festival this December at the theatre company's own theatre in Observatory, Cape Town, this December.

The daily line up presents two enchanting shows for children up to the age of seven as well as one for moms and babies up to one year - a South African first. Performed by The Magnet Early Years Theatre Company, each production has been designed to captivate, fascinate, engage and communicate with young audiences, while offering a unique and indigenous South African storytelling experience. The programme includes SCOOP: KITCHEN PLAY FOR MOMS AND BABES (ages 2 weeks to 12 months), EKHAYA (ages 3 to 7) and KNOCK! (ages 3 to 7).

SCOOP: KITCHEN PLAY FOR MOMS AND BABES is the first ever South African baby play for moms and young babies. This production is performed in a contained and relaxing space especially designed to accommodate individual attention. With the use of sounds, lights and textures, babies will be taken on an enchanting journey crafted to delight, surprise and soothe. Created by the company, under the mentorship of Jennie Reznek and with input from Anna Newell from Replay Theatre Company in Ireland (who have extensive experience in creating theatre for babies), SCOOP is directed by Koleka Putuma, designed by Nicola Date and performed by company members.

EKHAYA explores a child's understanding of being ''at home" in various contexts, using catchy original songs, music and vibrant visual images, while drawing on the three major languages spoken in the Western Cape: English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. Created by the company under the mentorship of Jennie Reznek, EKHAYA is directed by Koleka Putuma, designed by Frankie Nassimbeni and performed by the company.The production was the result of workshops and an incubation process with Gabi Dan Droste, an international expert in Early Childhood Development Theatre, hosted in partnership with ASSITEJ South Africa.

KNOCK! is a fun discovery of the natural material of wood: its sounds, what it can do and what it can make. Stimulating for the imagination, the cast create strange and magical animals and images with wonderfully shaped pieces of forest wood, interacting with the children through song, rhythms and creating sounds. Directed by Jennie Reznek, assisted by Koleka Putuma, KNOCK! is created by the company, with input from Barbara Kölling from Helios Theatre Company in Germany, designed by Asiphe Lili and performed by the company.

The Magnet Early Years Theatre Company is an initiative to train young theatremakers in the field of Early Childhood Development Theatre, and create these three new productions in 2015. The project has been made possible by a flagship grant from the National Arts Council of South Africa, with contributions from the Goethe-Institut and the SA-UK Seasons 2014&2015. The company members are Koleka Putuma, Jason Jacobs, Indalo Stofile, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe and Sivuyile Dunjwa.

Magnet Theatre co-founder Jennie Reznek comments on their groundbreaking programme:

Following the success of our previous shows for young audiences, we are inspired to be venturing even further into that arena, with the creation of a show for babies as young as a few weeks. With the Early Years project, we aim to not only train theatremakers for this genre of work, but also to grow the market for original, South African stories for young audiences. Research has shown that theatre as a means of intensive communication can stimulate babies' neural pathways, which are being formed at this young age. It's a moment of concentrated interaction, delicately and carefully crafted for the moms and their babes and suggests how rich the connection and conversation can be, even with the smallest of babies.

Magnet Theatre has been at the forefront of the theatre industry for twenty eight years, creating groundbreaking educational programmes and South African productions that have toured nationally and abroad to acclaim across four continents and twenty four international festivals.

Don't miss out on this special opportunity to introduce your little one to the magic of live performance and start the festive season on a high! The Early Years Theatre Festival takes place from 2 to 12 December daily, except Sundays. SCOOP: KITCHEN PLAY FOR MOMS AND BABES (ages 2 weeks to 12 months) takes place at 10:00, EKHAYA (ages 3 to 7) at 11:30, and KNOCK! (ages 3 to 7) at 14:30. Tickets for SCOOP: : KITCHEN PLAY FOR MOMS AND BABES cost R50 for one mom or dad and one baby and tickets for EKHAYA and KNOCK! cost R50 for adults and R30 for children. Tickets are available though www.webtickets.co.za. Magnet Theatre is situated at Unit 1, The Old Match Factory, Corner of Lower Main and St Michaels Roads, in Observatory. The theatre has ample parking space and is also a convenient ten minute walk to the train station and the Main Road. Visit Magnet Theatre on Facebook and on Twitter (@MagnetTheatre).

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