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Christine Skinner
Local theatregoers are in for a treat when Sue and Caroline’s Pick of the Fringe comes to Cape Town hot off the National Arts Festival in Makhanda.
The Drama Factory and Observatory-based Theatre Arts are presenting two shows that were performed at this year’s Festival.
“When like-minded independent theatre producers come together, good things happen!,” says Sue Diepeveen, Founder of The Drama Factory.
“Thanks to conversations with Caroline Calburn of Theatre Arts, we are delighted to bring you the comedy-drama Monika, it's me and the mischievous The Agents, under the banner of Sue and Caroline’s Pick of the Fringe! Monika, it's Me was an absolute highlight of the Festival for me!” says Diepeveen.
“I saw The Agents last year at NAF and I laughed so much I nearly fell over! You will never really be able to forget Brenda, Venter or Linda in a hurry and I believe that this is exceptionally crafted and performed,” says Caroline Calburn of Theatre Arts.
Monika, It’s Me will be performed at The Drama Factory from 23 to 25 July. It will be presented at Theatre Arts from 26 to 28 July.
The Agents will be presented at The Drama Factory from 22 to 24 August and at Theatre Arts from 19 to 25 August.
The programme is:
MONIKA, IT’S ME
The Drama Factory performances: 23, 24 and 25 July at 7.30pm with a matinee on 24 July at 4pm.
Theatre Arts performances: 27 July at 2pm and 7pm and 28 July at 5pm.
Performed by Klara van Wyk. Directed by Jenine Collocott
Tickets cost R 170 / R160
Nominated for Best Comedy Performance at KKNK 2024, this one-woman show provides a comedic look at the realities of growing old, being alone and the "Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning".
Meet Maryna. An adept facebook marketplace saleswoman, award-winning dog trainer and now also the unlikely carer of Monika, who is on the verge of swapping the temporal with the eternal. Monika a stately, suburban housewife was left behind by her family (who are now expats in New Zealand), and it is just a little too far for them to return to pack up the house.
"Klara van Wyk can turn tears of laughter on a tickey with an emotional register that stretches from the Spice Girls to Stravinsky via Stanislavsky"
Jenine Collocott is a theatre director, writer, designer and producer who has worked in the theatre industry for 17 years. Most of her experience is with ‘All Ages’ work; theatre that is accessible to a wide audience. Her work has played in mainstream theatres in Johannesburg and Cape Town. She is a regular at a number of festivals across South Africa, and her work has played at festivals in Edinburgh, Perth, Brighton, California (various cities) and Munich. Her track record for quality ‘All Ages’ theatre includes The Snow Goose, The Old Man and the Sea (winner Fleur du Cap Best Puppetry Design), Making Mandela (Naledi winner for Best Youth Production), Silkworm (Ovation award winner) and a flagship KKNK Production, Babbelagtig, which won a number of awards. Most recently she worked with a theatre company based in Germany on a new show titled My Family and Other Strangers.
Dr Klara van Wyk is a current postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cape Town currently working in applied theatre. She is a researcher and performer specialising in contemporary clowning and has trained with Philippe Gaulier, Mick Barnfather and Giovanni Fusetti . Klara is best known for her one person show, You Suck and Other Inescapable Truths that was performed over a hundred times across the country at schools and festivals and nominated for a Fleur du Cap, Kanna award and Standard Bank Ovation award. She also performed in the award winning Babbelagtig, Tweespalt and La Chair de Ma Chair that showcased on the main at the National Arts Festival as well as playing chalk girl in The Epicene Butcher and Other Stories for Consenting Adults.
THE AGENTS
The Drama Factory performances: 22 and 23 August at 7.30pm and matinee 24 August at 3.30pm.
Theatre Arts performances: 19 August at 7pm, 20 August at 7pm, 21 August at 7pm, 24 August at 8:15pm and 25 August at 4pm.
Presented by Robaby Productions
Tickets cost R180 / R160 / R120
Warning: No under 13 - language
Meet ‘The Agents’, a trio of mischievous performers who tear into the cut-throat world of property development, gentrification and Fancy Estate Living. From slick real estate agents to clueless home buyers to neighbourhood watch groups (you know the ones) - no one is safe from their hilariously sharp critiques. Irreverent, macabre and ridiculous: this show is a must-see for anyone who loves a spicy, laugh-out-loud cringefest.
Created and performed by Lisa Derryn Overy, Kyla Davis and Roberto Pombo and directed by physical theatre maestro Toni Morkel, 'The Agents' have finally landed in Cape Town after knock-out runs in Jozi and NAF where it was praised as a ‘gem’ of the festival and scooped a Standard Bank Ovation Award.
“Every year there is a standout fringe show, and this was it.” - Steve Kretzmann, The Critter
“Under the direction of Toni Morkel, (the performers) are a joy to watch. The trio moves as a three-headed beast…they deliver the razor-sharp script with ease, and routinely whip themselves and their unsuspecting clients into a frenzy. The Agents is easily one of the gems of this year’s Festival. Go and see it!” - David Mann, Cue Online
“...fabulously fierce and funny! Morkel, Davis, Pombo and Derryn Overy have created something quite extraordinary in The Agents” - Yvette Hardie
Robaby Productions emerged onto the theatrical scene in 2014 with "Father, Father, Father!", a cult hit that left audiences shocked with its deliciously dark narrative. Since then, this theatre company has remained a beacon of innovation, consistently pushing the boundaries of storytelling over the past decade. At the creative helm stand theatre-makers Roberto Pombo and Toni Morkel, whose distinctive blend of grotesque bouffonary and physicality has become synonymous with Robaby's distinctive style. Robaby Productions has carved out a niche as purveyors of the sardonic and dark, challenging audiences to confront the shadows lurking within themselves. Robaby Productions: Father, Father. Father! (2014); KidCasino (2016); Becky, Please turn off the lights (2018); VVV - Vial, Vulgar, Vaudeville (2021); The Agents (2023). Social Media: @agentsplay (insta)
Bookings for performances at The Drama Factory can be made at www.thedramafactory.co.za
Bookings for performances at Theatre Arts can be made at https://theatrearts.co.za/