MEETING MARIA

Carmen Pretorius tells us about her onstage role as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music, and her love of singing

‘My tattoo represents the Three Sisters constellation, also known as Orion’s Belt. I had it done to keep my sisters close to my heart.’

Carmen Pretorius (28) has graced both the stage and screen, having starred in musicals like Mamma Mia!, Footloose, Jersey Boys and Cabaret; three Janice Honeyman productions; and as Lien Jooste in the Kyknet film Lien se Lankstaanskoene. She’s also appeared in local TV shows such as Isidingo, Binnelanders and Pasella. These days she’s playing the lead role of Maria onstage in the local production of The Sound of Music, currently on at Artscape in Cape Town. Carmen got her big break 10 years ago, during matric. She’d entered M-Net’s High School Musical: Spotlight South Africa competition, but very nearly didn’t make it to her first audition.

‘I was finishing up my last high school show, Hello Dolly!, in which I played Dolly,’ she recounts. ‘I went to bed late, overslept and missed my flight. I was lying in bed that morning thinking I should just forget about the audition, but then something told me not to. I had R1000 in my bank account and the next flight cost R999 – so I just squeezed my eyes shut and bought the ticket.’ It paid off: she won the role of Gabriella Montez in the Pieter Toerien-Hazel Feldman production, jump-starting her career.

‘If I’d stayed in bed I would never be where I am today. It literally came down to getting out of bed!’

Carmen grew up on the West Rand in Johannesburg. She describes her parents as ‘dynamic and supportive’. Her mother is an optometrist and her father an electronic engineer, but they both also have a creative streak: her mom plays piano and a bit of violin, and took up the saxophone at age 50, while her dad paints and is a keen photographer. They divorced when Carmen was young, but she feels the experience helped mould her into the performer she is today.

‘It made me more empathetic,’ she says. ‘If you can understand people, or try to understand them, it makes you a better performer.’ Her childhood wasn’t conventional, says Carmen. ‘I come from an Afrikaans family but I went to an English school. So while I had a strong influence of Afrikaans values at home, I also had English friends at school. Afrikaans people are generally more conservative. For instance, as kids we’d never address an adult by their first name: we’d say “Tannie” or “Oom”. In English, I’d say “Mrs”, whereas my friends would call my mom by her first name. My friends at school would also be quite opinionated about everything, from TV shows to religion. Even though my family isn’t very conservative, it was exciting to grow up like that, seeing the world from two different points of view.’

Carmen recalls watching The Sound of Music as a child.

‘The scene with Liesl and Rolf stands out vividly – I think it’s because of the dance. I remember wondering how the children in the movie got to be there.’ Even then, her dream was to be a singer.

‘Many people in theatre say they wanted nothing more than to be onstage, performing. But for me it was all about singing. I was glued to the TV when-

ever Madonna or Britney Spears came on.’ At the age of eight, she asked her mother if she could go for singing lessons, and began her vocal training – she continues to takes lessons with the same teacher.

When Carmen first auditioned to play Maria, she landed the role of Liesl von Trapp instead.

‘I think I was a bit young, so they decided that Liesl would be a better option; I was Maria’s understudy. [She was cast as Maria in the show’s next run.] Liesl was an exciting part of my life. She’s naive, but she’s tough and so smart. I was going through a difficult time when I was playing Liesl: my first serious boyfriend and I had broken up, and I was questioning my identity as a single woman. I was going on tour and it was difficult for me not to have my rock in the form of my partner. I was also experiencing a sort of quarter-life crisis where I was questioning my choices. Rehearsals and the show itself were a sanctuary for me. I absolutely threw myself into the role. The musical really got me through that rough patch.’

Working with veteran performer Andre Schwartz, who plays Captain von Trapp, has been great for her.

‘I first worked with him as his daughter Liesl, and now I’m playing Maria. He’s also a friend of my dad’s, so it’s nice to have a fatherly figure around.’ But isn’t it strange to have to kiss him in the show?

‘When you play a character you go into a pseudo reality. You don’t see the person in the context of who they are in real life. The director makes sure it’s a protective space in that moment so you don’t feel vulnerable. After the first time it’s less awkward.’

There’s no doubt that this multi-talented performer is in tune with who she is, even though there are two personality traits that compete for top billing.

‘I have my creative side and my analytical side, and there’s an eternal struggle between the two,’ she says. ‘One part of me is very much the performer, somebody who likes the limelight, who enjoys being adventurous and having an opinion and my voice heard. The other is a bit of a recluse. My friends call me Cermit – “hermit” with a C,’ she says with a laugh. ‘I spend a lot of time doing my own thing. I just want to achieve what I want to achieve, so I put my mind to it. I read a quote that said: “We don’t have the time; we make the time.” I don’t have children. I’m not married. I’m lucky in that way because I have only myself and my future to think about at this stage. As long as I can balance the two aspects of myself, I’m happy. I can’t not perform, but I don’t want only that.’

Which is why Carmen is studying towards a Bachelor’s degree in marketing at IMM Graduate School, which she sees as one of her most exciting prospects.

‘Marketing is probably the most creative branch of the commerce world, and it’s always been a part of my life as a performer – thinking about how something comes across to people.’

Even with her busy schedule, she takes time to switch off. She loves yoga and meditation, and often goes fishing with her boyfriend, Keaton Ditchfield, who’s also a performer and whose parents are entertainer Paul Ditchfield and actress Judy Ditchfield.

‘Keaton is a fisherman, so we often camp at the dam. As long as I have a book, I’m fine,’ she says.

‘I also love going out for a lovely meal or to a farmers’ market. I don’t enjoy festivals or anything like that much, because I don’t like having too many people around me and don’t like loud places.’

Although she’s at home onstage, Carmen would like a permanent role on a local TV show.

‘I prefer the hours of a TV show because you shoot during the day and go home at night. Theatre is topsy-turvy: while everyone’s going home, we’re going to work; when everyone’s at work we’re at home. I’ve done a lot of travelling and have been to the most exotic places. I just want to be home now!’ Carmen will be staying in Cape Town once The

Sound of Music’s run ends, and hopes to be part of the musical in the future.

‘The show may come back in a few years. Perhaps I’ll play the baroness,’ she says with a chuckle. ‘Hopefully I’ll even play the captain one day!’