All the Fleur du Cap awards
Sensitive, significant play ‘What Remains’ scoops four awards at Fleur du Cap
WHAT Remains, a controversial play dealing with the thorny issue of land, social heritage and forced removals, scooped four awards at the Fleur du Cap awards last night, just one of several quality productions that was recognised. The Who’s Who of the performing arts community attended a glitzy ceremony at the Baxter Theatre where a deserving list of dramas, musicals, operas and creatives involved were honoured.
What Remains, written by Nadia Davids received an award for best new South African script; while the cast won an award for best performance by an ensemble, Jay Pather as best director and William Disberg was recognised for best lighting design for the play.
It was launched at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival last year and then performed in Cape Town to much acclaim.
Davids’s play takes Prestwich Place and its historical significance as the core inspiration of the production, focusing on the furore that erupted in 2003 when, during construction for an exclusive development in Green Point, the bones and remains of slaves and washerwomen and other descendants were discovered, then ceremonially relocated.
King Kong, a remake of the landmark musical of 1956, scooped three big awards. When it first ran it made history with its multi-racial cast that travelled overseas during the height of apartheid. The reincarnation of this ebullient drama about boxing legend Ezekiel Dlamini was so popular that it returned for a second run earlier this year. Edith Plaatjies won an award as best female lead in a musical or music theatre show playing Joyce; while Sanda Shandu was honoured for best performance as supporting actor, playing the conniving gangster Lucky. Meanwhile, the talented Charl-Johan Lingenfelder was recognised for best sound design in the performance for original music composition.
Meanwhile, Marat/Sade (Nicolette Moses) was named as best production. David Dennis won best performance by a lead actor in a musical for his role in Priscilla Queen of the Desert as Bernadette and his female counterpart in best supporting role was the charming Isabella Jane playing the mistress of Juan Peron in Evita.
Nico Scheepers was awarded as best new director, and Gideon Lombard, for his sensitive portrayal as Marnus in Die Reuk
van Appels, won best performance in a revue, cabaret or one-man show.
The award for the most promising student went to Luntu Masiza, Afda; the award for best theatre production for children and young people to Jon Keavy for
The Underground Library; and Greg King scooped an award for best set design for Suddenly the Storm. Leigh Bishop and Lieze van Tonder in
Twelfth Night won best costume design; while in the same performance Mark Elderkin as Malvolio won best actor in a supporting role.
Lukhanyo Moyake in Rigoletto as the Duke of Mantua, won best performance in a opera while Johanni van Oostrum in
Der Fliegende Holländer as Senta won for female best performance in opera.
An award for innovation in theatre went to the Imbewu Trust and Kunste Onbeperk.
Finally, veteran performer and wellloved Cape Town personality Alvon Collison, stepped on to the stage to received a lifetime achievement award for his decades in showbiz.
Winners at the 53rd annual Fleur du Cap were chosen from productions performed at professional theatre venues in and around Cape Town. A total of 115 productions from the year under review were eligible for consideration. The awards were considered in 26 different categories.
The event was hosted by Africa Melane, supported by a variety of leading ladies who have previously been acknowledged on our stages and have garnered the coveted Fleur du Cap Theatre Award.