UMHLANGA LIFE - THE ONLINE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Weather

DURBAN WEATHER
Showing posts with label peter court. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peter court. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Theatre Review - Jack And The Beanstalk


A Breath Of Fresh Air

(Image courtesy of KickstArt Productions)

Show: Jack And The Beanstalk
Written and Directed by Steven Stead
Designed by Greg King
Cast: Shelley Mclean, Liesl Coppin, Rory Booth, Nathan Kruger, Darren King, Jessica Sole, Peter Court, Bryan Hiles, Lyle Buxton
Venue: Sneddon Theatre

This is another KickstArt Production and it shows.  All KickstArt Shows have a high level of professionalism about them and this show is full of professionals.  Packed full of the best talent that Durban has to offer.  You are seeing the best of the best.  If you don't know the tale by now this is the story of Jack (Rory Booth) who sells his family cow to two scoundrels Claude and Cecil (Scene-stealers both Peter Court and Bryan Hiles) in return for some magic beans.  The beans land up in the field and so grows a huge beanstalk which leads to the realm of the Giant (Lyle Buxton) who reminds me of someone.  Anyway there is a hen that lays magic eggs and a harp made of gold.
Prepare yourself for a wonderful pantomine, there is great interaction with the audience.  Look out for Lady Perfidia Beastly (Liesl Coppin) and Rory Booth.  Darren King is superb as Jack's Mom, loved the outfits.  Shelley Mclean is wonderful as the good fairy.

Look out for some animated sets it almost feels like you are in a comic book.  There is much work backstage as well and the crew is to be commended.

There is lots of audience interaction and some superb singing and dancing.  This show received a standing ovation at the performance I was at and you can see why.

The perfect outing for the family at this time of year.

Rating 10/10
Enhanced by Zemanta

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Auditions, Networking Meetings, Short Story Competitions and Theatre News





PANSA/Rainbow Young Performers Project 2013

AUDITIONS
ON SATURDAY 13TH APRIL
AT UKZN (Howard College) DRAMA DEPARTMENT
For the original production
‘CAN YOU FEEL IT?’
Written and Directed by Peter Court and Charon Williams-Ros

Rehearsals: Every Weekend from 14th April – 23rd June
Full time 25th / 26th /27th June
Performances at the ELIZABETH SNEDDON THEATRE
from 28th June – 14th July 2013

REGISTRATION: 09h00 – 10h00
•Singers•Dancers [All Styles]
           
•Gymnasts/Acrobats•Physical Actors

•Mime Artists•Magicians

•Special Skills [Skateboarding/Trick cycling/Parkour/Free running, Juggling/Diablo/Baton twirling, etc.]

•Musicians [portable instruments only – must be your own]

NB: Audition is open to High School learners only
Enquiries: PANSA Tel: 031 201-4750 /email: kzn@pansa.org.za

If you are considering a career in theatre, this is your chance!

(Source - Pansa)

Catalina Theatre - Call for Proposals for 2014

Catalina UnLtd is calling for proposals for productions to be staged at the Catalina Theatre, Wilson’s Wharf, Durban for 2014.

The productions may be full theatre productions, children’s shows, music performances, dance, comedy, and the like. The aim is to get an interesting, innovative and eclectic mix while still focussing on good, solid mainstream theatre.

Please send a brief proposal consisting of:
·         Name and contact details
·         Type of show (e.g. music performance)
·         Synopsis or basic story line of the show
·         Number of cast members/performers
·         Brief director & actor/performer bios
·         Who would the show appeal to

Please email catalinasagm@gmail.com for more information or to submit your proposal.

Make 2014 your year to get on stage.

(Source - Catalina Theatre) 


March Networking Breakfast


(Source - Hirsch Umhlanga) 


Short Story Competition
Just a last reminder to have a go at the SA Writers College short story competition before the deadline of March 31st. Or if you've written your story but not sent it yet- now's the time to tweak it and submit it! 
Theme: Doing the right thing. This is not the title.
Word count: Less than 2000 words
Open to all South African writers who have not had fiction published in mainstream publications 

Email as an attachment to Nichola@sawriterscollege.co.za 



(Source - SA Writers College) 

Speaking of Short Stories, here is one by Andrew Verster.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

The stuffing’s coming out of your chair.
We are all losing ours as well.
Aren’t you going to do something about it?
At some moment you give up and let nature take its course.
That is defeatist.
Realistic.
It’s avoiding the issue.
Is that bad?
One can’t let circumstance ride roughshod over you.
Why not?
You must take a stand about everything.
Even things you can’t change?
That’s different. You must be realistic.
Look life right in the eye?
Something like that.
Say what you think?
Yes.
You are the ugliest person I’ve ever seen.
You’re no oil painting either.
But I won that round.
Because you got in first?
No, because I said what was on my mind.
The truth never hurts.
You ARE the ugliest person I’ve ever seen.
You look like a Tretchikoff.
Now THAT hurt.
Bye, mom. See you around.
Bye darling. Close your eyes when you cross the road.

Andrew Verster is a World Famous Artist and Writer Based in Durban.





















Tuesday, March 27, 2012

We Interview #Speaker Claire Newton #vocalislekker


Dear Readers Today We Interview Speaker Claire Newton all about PSASA and the
Annual Convention they have coming up.  Let's hear what she has to say:




                                                                     Claire Newton
                                President of the Durban Chapter of PSASA





1.  You are a Speaker, What do you Speak about?

I speak about YOU-Q. You-Q is a concept that I have developed myself and it is about living one’s life to one’s full potential. It is about finding one’s Inner Winner.
You- Q is more than IQ – Intelligence alone is insufficient to find your Inner Winner.
You-Q is more than EQ – Managing your emotions is insufficient to find your Inner Winner.
You-Q is more than SQ – Having spiritual understanding on its own is insufficient to find your Inner Winner.
YOU-Q includes all of these things, but it is alsomore than these things. I talk about the 3 things one needs to focus on in order to develop YOU-Q and find one’s Inner Winner. That is
1.  Get Real - know your values, purpose and vision.
2. Change Your Head Talk -change the negative beliefs you have about yourself and the unhelpful messages you give yourself and
3. Relate – be able to relate well with others(be assertive, know how to handle conflict and have good interpersonal skills).

2.  You are the President of the Durban Branch of PSASA.  What is PSASA, What's that all about?

PSASA stands for Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa. It is a professional association for people involved in the speaking business. Our members are versatile and diverse. They represent all aspects of the speaking business. All make their living, or part of their living, speaking to and/or working with groups as trainers, facilitators, coaches, consultants, adult educators, and keynoters.
The PSASA is committed to building a better future for the professional speaking business in South Africa and internationally. We are linked to the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).
 3.  I understand PSASA is having a convention in April, what will be happening there and what is this #vocalislekker?
Every year the PSASA holds an annual convention hosted by one of its Chapters – Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg or Pretoria. This year it is being held in Durban. The theme is Vocal is Lekker, which is a play on the South African promotional slogan, “Local is Lekker” and emphasises that speaking is just lekker! (For the international readers: Lekker ispronounced to rhyme with Mecca – and means nice / good / great!)
It is a three day convention and it officially stars on Friday 27th April with lunch and ends on Sunday 29th April with lunch.
On Friday afternoon we have a special Business Event. We are inviting business men and women to join us to hear three top international speakers give their business keynote.
The three speakers you’ll meet at the Business Event are:
Charles Marcus
This dynamic Canadian speaker’s key note address, “The Business World Is Evolving – Are You?” covers:
  • 5 game changers that will set you apart from the crowd
  • How to create MAGICAL moments for your customers
  • Principles of success

Holger Woeltje
Holger is Germany’s leading expert in electronic time management and will show you how to:
  • Survive the daily flood of email
  • Find important information when you need it
  • Keep track of tasks
  • Set your priorities and get important stuff done, as well as
  • Achieve big results and
  • Gain more time for what matters most to you.

Andreas Buhr
Andreas hails from Germany, which currently has one of the strongest economies in Europe.  He will share with you his “7 Steps to Increase Your Turnover.”  
These three business powerhouses are not often together in the same place at the same time and I encourage you to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to benefit from their shared experience.
Your investment for the afternoon is R1000 per person, including lunch, tea, the threekeynotes and a delegate’s bag of goodies. Given that each of these speakers charge a few thousand dollars / euros, each time they speak, we have it at a bargain price!
There are only 40 seats left for this ground-breaking event, so please book soon!
Saturday and Sunday brings a line-up of speakers including: Mykola Latansky (Russia), Wolfgang Bönisch (Germany), Martin Limbeck (Germany); Richard McCann (UK). Laura Stack (USA). From South Africa, speakers include Francois Muscat, Mark Manley, Bertie Du Plessis, Jurgen Tietz, Dr Petro Janse van Vuuren, Peter Court and Roger Knowles.
This event is open to all PSASA members as well as the public. There is an early booking special offer. For more information, visit the website link:  http://www.psasouthernafrica.co.za/events/index.asp?Type=Cat&CatID=16 or contact Simone simone@psasa.co.za / +27 79 680 2573 for more details and to book your seats.

There will also be books, CD’s and DVD’s on sale throughout the convention, so pop in and be inspired!
4.  Is it true that the Famous Actor Peter Court will be doing a workshop on stagecraft?

Yes, we are very lucky to have Peter Court to facilitate a workshop for us on Friday morning (9-11am). This is a pre con event and it is open to the public. (Seats are limited though, so get in quick!)

The two-hour practical workshop will focus on:
·         Relaxation and breathing – where the voice comes from
·         Vocal development – altering voice for tone and quality
·         Body awareness – development of character and presentation persona
·         Locomotion and motivation – presentation skills and gesture
·         Creating verbal drama – create better presentations and performance
So if you are a speaker, toastmaster, actor, drama teacher or someone who wants to improve your presentation skills, this is the workshop for you.
It costs R500.00/ pp. but if you book for 3 then the 4th comes free!
You can book through the PSASA Administrator – Simone on: simone@psasouthernafrica.co.za / +27 79 680 2573

5.  What advice do you have for speakers?

1)      Join the PSASA!
2)      Attend the conventions!

I can honestly say that my speaking career is where it is today because of the PSASA.

Attending the meetings, being exposed to other excellent speakers and discussing business ideas has really given me focus.  I have also made some great friends through the PSASA.

Attending the conventions is nothing short of inspirational. They are the best investment I could have made into my speaking career. I came away, excited, inspired, motivated. You will too.

6.  Do you prefer the Beach or the Forest?  

To be honest I really love both.

When I was working on Super yachts in the Mediterranean, I was surrounded by water or jetties all of the time and I really missed the grass and the trees. At any opportunity I could get, I would go walking barefoot on the grass and look for trees to sit under, just to listen to the sound of the leaves blowing in the breeze. There is a tiny forest in Antibes (South of France)and I was so excited when I discovered it. I used to walk there a lot.

As for the beach…I am a Durban girl! I couldn’t ever live too far from a beach as I would miss it too much. In Durban we are really blessed – we have some of the best beaches in the world!

7.  How does one book for this PSASA convention?

You can book through the PSASA Administrator – Simone on: simone@psasouthernafrica.co.za / +27 79 680 2573

Don’t hesitate, just do it!


Sounds like the place to be!


Useful Links:


PSASA -  www.psasouthernafrica.co.za

Find them on Facebook -  http://www.facebook.com/psasouthernafrica

Follow them on Twitter - @psasouthafrica