So you are all invited to our next birthday show, another fabulous Halloween-themed, fun-filled, slightly longer and crazier celebration of our coming of age! Last year’s show kept the audience in stitches with zombies, ghosts, and all other manner of creepy characters gracing the stage.

This year will be no different. Tickets will remain at the cheap-as-chips price of only R50 or come dressed in your best Halloween costume and get in for an even cheaper R40.

Book your tickets on 072 939 3351, and join us at 8pm at The Little Theatre in Orange street on Saturday 29 October for a freakishly good time.

There are some double tickets available for the production of ANOTHER FRIGGIN’ TRIBUTE SHOW on the 12^th of October ( Yes that is tomorrow!).

How do you get in the draw? Its as easy as emailing extras@yoursoapbox.co.za with your name, contact details and you could win.

Draw takes place tomorrow at Noon and Winners will be informed by 1pm to ensure they can make the evenings fun.

If you would like to read about the show here’s a link :

- SEE YOU AT THE SHOW

There are a few sets of double tickets available for the production of Coenie & Evita on Saturday the 24^th staring Coenie de Villiers & Tannie Evita Bezuidenhout

We have tickets for both the 3pm and the 6pm shows

Draw takes place on Friday the 23^rd at 12pm and Winners will be notified by 2pm on the same day.

If you would like to read about the show here.

- SEE YOU AT THE SHOW

There are some double tickets available for the production of HATS OFF on the 14^th or 15^th of September.

How do you get in the draw? Its as easy as emailing extras@yoursoapbox.co.za with your name, contact details and which night you prefer and you could win.

Draw takes place on Friday the 9^th of September at Noon and Winners will be announced on Monday.

If you would like to read about the show here’s a link :

EDIT: After a very relevant question by Candice van Litsenbourgh (@CandicevL on twitter) you may enter up to 3 times for this competition.

- SEE YOU AT THE SHOW

We have some tickets to giveaway for the show called “That 80’s Show” at the Roxy Review Bar at Grandwest on Wednesday the 14th of December.

To enter simply email us your name and contact number to extras@yoursoapbox.co.za and we will be doing the draw Tomorrow (13th) at noon.

Our reviewer had a great time and his review is here

Good Luck!

You can enter up to three times, judges decision is final, tickets are not transferable.

SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!

Aspirant screenwriters can sharpen their skills at a 4-Saturday afternoon workshop at The Writing Studio in Cape Town on June 4, 11, 25 and July 2 from 12noon until 3pm.

The inspirational and motivational from page to screen workshop offers local aspirant screenwriters an opportunity to write a South African story that will be ideal for the international market.

It’s a practical workshop that focuses on the art of writing visual narrative and turning inspiration into big screen action. The workshop explores the journey from the inspiration of an idea, development of characters, structuring the plot, through the writing process to the planning and start of a first draft of a screenplay that will become the blueprint for a film, television series or stageplay.

The inspirational and motivational workshop is ideal for ANYONE with an idea for a story. If there is a local story or inspiring personality you want to write about this is your opportunity to turn thoughts into words.

The course turns theory into practise and ideas inside out. It explores the full dramatic or comedic potential of stories and empowers storytellers to write a compelling story that will reflect the uniqueness of their culture, history and experience.

The workshop is also an introduction into the world of filmmaking and teaches writers how to read and interpret the fascinating language of film, and how to evaluate and analyse film, television and theatre constructively. The writers will also be invited to exclusive preview screenings of upcoming films.

It is ideal for novelists who would like to adapt their work into a visual medium, as well as for those who would like to write a stageplay. .

The trainer is local writer, playwright, movie journalist and Education, Training and Development Practitioner Daniel Dercksen, who has been teaching workshops in scriptwriting and creative writing throughout South Africa the past 17 years, as well as a Masterclass for Screenwriters for 40 writers from Africa at the Sithengi Film and TV Market’s Talent Campus.

For more information and registration, visit the website www.writingstudio.co.za, or email info@writingstudio.co.za

Storytellers who want to flex their creative muscle can sharpen their storytelling skills at The Write Voice creative writing workshop that takes place on Tuesday evenings from 5.30pm until 8.30pm on May 31 and June 7, 14, and 21 at The Writing Studio in Greenpoint, Cape Town. The Write voice explores the writing process and deconstructs writing fiction, non-fiction and journalism. It is ideal for anyone who needs a jump start and take that step forward in writing creatively; during the workshop scribes will have the opportunity to write a short story and get positive feedback through practical and motivational exercises.

The Write Voice inspires storytellers to get in touch with who they are and write stories that will reflect the uniqueness of their culture, history and experience. This unique creative injection for storytellers is about writing from the inside-out and sharpens the creative focus, intensifies the creative process, and maximizes writers’ ‘me-time’ The trainer is Daniel Dercksen, who has been a film and theatre journalist in South Africa the past 30 years and as a trainer and educator has presented regular workshops in scriptwriting and creative writing during the past 17 years.

For more information send an email to daniel@writingstudio.co.za, visit the website: www.writingstudio.co.za, or call Daniel on 072 474 107

The 46th annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, held at the Artscape Theatre last night, Sunday 20 March, was once again a stunning event, attended by the crème de la crème of the South African theatre fraternity.

Nominees and VIP guests, all dressed to the nines, were greeted on the red carpet with cocktails and canapés, mingling to music by the vivacious saxophonist Judy Brown and harpist Jane Theron. Lara Bye, a previous Fleur du Cap winner and nominee, directed the onstage event that was given a uniquely Capetonian vibe this year with performances by David Kramer and his Breyani Band, the Limited Edition Drummers, the Gugulethu Tenors, Thembi Mtshali-Jones and the world champion break dance duo Jed and Duane Lawrence, also known as the Ubuntu BBoys. Entertaining the illustrious crowd in between the awarding of prizes was the hilarious MC Alan Committee with the elegant television personality Charlene Truter his co-host.

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards is the premier event of its kind in South Africa. At its inception in 1965 it was known as the Three Leaf Awards, becoming the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards in 1978 when it was named after one of Distell’s leading wine brands. Every year prizes are given to outstanding individuals for theatre excellence, specifically focusing on professional theatre productions staged in the Cape Town Metropole and surrounds. The judges are made up of local critics, journalists, writers and drama educators, who base their decisions on having viewed close to 100 productions over twelve months, in several venues in and around the city. The panel consists of Marianne Thamm, Mariana Malan, Marina Nel, Peter Tromp, Len Ashton, Beverley Brommert, Wayne Muller, Herman van der Westhuizen, Zane Henry, Jill Makram, Denise Bester and Conrad Sidego, the non-voting chairman.

London Road, a production directed by Lara Bye, scooped three awards for Robyn Scott as Best Actress, Ntomboxolo Makhutshi as Best Supporting Actress and Nicholas Spagnoletti for Best New SA Script. Woyzeck, directed by Best Director nominee Lara Foot, was acknowledged in two categories with Bongile Mantsai winning Best Supporting Actor and Leopold Senekal receiving the Fleur du Cap for Best Design (costumes and set). Pieter-Dirk Uys, who was awarded a coveted TEDDY in Berlin last month and a Naledi in Johannesburg last week, received his third major award of 2011 when he won the Fleur du Cap for Best Performance in a Revue or Cabaret for his role as Bambi Kellermann in F.A.K Songs and Other Struggle Anthems.

Each award carries a R15 000 cash prize and a silver medallion, making a ‘Fleur du Cap’ one of the most coveted awards in the industry. Awards are given for musicals, comedy and drama productions. Special attention is paid to the entire artistic creation of a production which includes writing of new scripts, acting, directing plus the challenging technical and design elements.

The various category winners are as follows:

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR / BESTE VERTOLKING DEUR ‘N AKTEUR Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Warrick Grier for Blackbird as Ray

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS / BESTE VERTOLKING DEUR ‘N AKTRISE Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Robyn Scott for London Road as Rose

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR / BESTE ONDERSTEUNENDE AKTEUR Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Bongile Mantsai for Woyzeck as Drum Major

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS/ BESTE ONDERSTEUNENDE AKTRISE Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Ntomboxolo Makhutshi for London Road as Stella

BEST DIRECTOR / BESTE REGISSEUR Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Malcolm Purkey for The Girl in the Yellow Dress

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A ONE-PERSON SHOW/ BESTE SPEL IN ‘N EENPERSOONVERTONING Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol James Cairns for Dirt for various characters

BEST NEW SA SCRIPT/BESTE NUWE SA TEKS TITLE/TITEL PLAYWRIGHT/DRAMATURG London Road – Nicholas Spagnoletti

ROSALIE VAN DER GUCHT PRIZE FOR NEW DIRECTORS ROSALIE VAN DER GUCHT PRYS VIR NUWE REGISSEURS Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Christiaan Olwagen for Woza Andries

BEST PERFORMANCE IN MUSICAL/BESTE SPEL IN MUSIEKBLYSPEL Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Ilse Klink for Mamma Mia! as Rosie

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE OR CABARET/ BESTE SPEL IN ‘N REVUE OF KABARET Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Pieter-Dirk Uys for F.A.K Songs and Other Struggle Anthems as Bambi Kellermann

BEST DESIGN/BESTE ONTWERP Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Leopold Senekal for Costume and Prop Design for Aesop’s Fables and for Costume and Set Design for Woyzeck

BEST STUDENT AWARD/BESTE STUDENTE TOEKENNING Name / Naam Play/Toneelstuk Role/Rol De Klerk Oelofse from University of Stellenbosch (US)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Mannie Manim

AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THEATRE Klein Libertas Theatre in Stellenbosch

PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD – Members of the public voted online for their favourite production of 2010 by logging onto www.fdcawards.co.za between 28 February and 16 March. This award went to The Mechanicals production of Louis Nowra’s Cosi.

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards is an initiative of the Distell Foundation, forming part of Distell’s Corporate Social Investment Programme that is dedicated to supporting the performing arts. The event itself is an evening of glitz and glamour that is equivalent to the Tony Awards in New York, and it attracts the cream of the country’s theatre talent and entertainers.

A limited amount of tickets were made available to the public, selling out as soon as they were released. All funds raised through ticket sales are donated to theatre development in South Africa.

As with any new start up there are challenges that all ultimately boil down to money and time. We are a registered CC and are doing all that we can with the limited time available to us outside the other things that we do.

In a perfect world we would be able to acquire funding that will enable one of us to work full time in the business and by doing so ensure growth and ultimately greater coverage and support of the performing arts. It would also assist us in making the business more self-sufficient and less dependant on assistance.

The performing arts in this country are healthy but need to be nurtured in order to ensure that they grow. We have a desire to grow the platform of yoursoapbox to one that can assist young South Africans to attain their dreams of working in the performing arts. The goals include exposing more youth to theatre and assisting them financially once we have the means ourselves to do so.

When asked why we didn’t register a non-profit organisation as it would make getting funding easier, the honest answer is that we feel running this company as a business is the correct way to go. We don’t want to receive funding because it is a non-profit organisation, We would like to receive funding because our business is a solid one that is seen as valuable and relevant and not just a tax write off.

This post was written as an introduction and a hopeful start to a conversation with you.

Lend a helping hand to the Performing arts and help us at Yoursoapbox to make sure that your brand gets linked to an industry that can inspire, create hope and simply entertain.

If you have any questions please feel free to drop us a mail at stage@yoursoapbox.co.za and we will respond to you as soon as possible

- SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!

There is a picture and a story about a certain Abraham Auret and it follows below. Many a performer walks into the theatre and has a smile and wave at old Abraham as if to say: “Please bring in the crowds my friend.”

Enjoy this gem about a part of the history that is the majestic little theatre in Kalk Bay.

ABRAHAM AURET

HAND-LINE FISHERMAN, TREK FISHERMAN AND LOCAL BUILDER AURET BUILT THIS CHURCH IN 1876. EMPLOYED BY THE KALK BAY DUTCH REFORMED CONGREGATION AND FUNDED BY MIJNHEER MOOLMAN, AURET BUILT THE CHURCH AT A COST OF ₤700. LEGEND HAS IT THAT ABRAHAM AURET WAS NOT INVITED TO THE OPENING CEREMONY / CONSECRATION.

INSULTED TO THE QUICK, AURET CURSED THE BUILDING. THAT NIGHT A STRONG WIND AROSE AND BLEW THE NEWLY CONSECRATED ROOF INTO THE SEA, WHICH AS SOMEONE COMMENTED SAID “MUCH FOR THE STRENGTH OF HIS CURSES AND LESS FOR THE QUALITY OF HIS BUILDING.”

AURET HOWEVER FEATURED ON THE GUEST LIST FOR ALL SUBSEQUENT IMPORTANT GATHERINGS. THE THEATRE GHOST HAS NEVER BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT AURET’S SPIRIT IS A PRIME CANDIDATE.