FOUR SHORT PLAYS BY SAMUEL BECKETT
Core-curator Khayelihle Dominique Gumede and William Kentridge share a mutual interest in Samuel Beckett. Here we see moments from an incubative workshop in early December 2016 – a first reading of Samuel Beckett plays. By early 2017, four short plays had been chosen and were produced for two nights of Beckett. The four plays performed were, Catastrophe, Play, Not I and Rough for Theatre I
CINEMATOGRAPHER | Duško Marović
EDITOR | Žana Marović
SOUND ENGINEERS | Soulfire Studios: Gavan Eckhart, Zain Vally & Jacques Sibanda
LIGHTING DESIGNERS | Wesley France & Matthews Phala
COSTUME DESIGNER | Bake und Backen: Noluthando Lobese
SET & PROPS | Jenni-lee Crewe, Wesley France, Chris-Waldo de Wet, Christoff Wolmarans, Jacques van Staden, & Joey Netshiombo
STAGE MANAGERS | Dimakatso Motholo & Emil Lars
PHOTOGRAPHER | Stella Olivier
ROUGH FOR THEATRE I
Rough for Theatre I is a one-act theatrical sketch by Samuel Beckett. Also known simply as Theatre I, it began its life originally in French in the late 1950s as ‘Fragment de théâtre’ and was later translated into English by Beckett.
Here it is performed by South African greats Dan Robbertse and Hamilton Dlamini. Both actors are well known in the country for their work in television and film – Robbertse for his lead role as Hansie van Wyk in the 2002 television drama Behind The Badge, and Dlamini for his roles in the films and teleserials Isithembiso, Faith like Potatoes and The King's Messenger.
As a core-curator of Season 1, Khayelihle Dominique Gumede invited fellow theatre maker Jemma Kahn into the process.
Rough for Theatre I
PERFORMERS | Daniel Robbertse & Hamilton Dhlamini
DIRECTOR | Khayelihle Dominique Gumede
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR | Jemma Kahn
CINEMATOGRAPHER | Duško Marović
EDITOR | Žana Marović
SOUND ENGINEERS | Soulfire Studios: Gavan Eckhart, Zain Vally & Jacques Sibanda
LIGHTING DESIGNERS | Wesley France & Matthews Phala
COSTUME DESIGNER | Bake und Backen: Noluthando Lobese
SET & PROPS | Jenni-lee Crewe, Wesley France, Chris-Waldo de Wet, Christoff Wolmarans, Jacques van Staden, & Joey Netshiombo
STAGE MANAGERS | Dimakatso Motholo & Emil Lars
PHOTOGRAPHER | Stella Olivier
NOT I
For Season 1, William Kentridge and core-curator Khayelihle Dominique Gumede discovered a mutual aspiration to direct short Samuel Beckett plays. As this conversation developed, The Centre became aware of Patricia Boyer (via POPArt and Hayleigh Evans). Boyer was in the throes of developing the short dramatic monologue Not I written by Beckett in 1972. It is often referred to as one of the most difficult theatre pieces to perform.
An interesting anecdote from a review written in The Guardian in 2014 reads: "In 1972, shortly after Beckett wrote Not I, the American actor Jessica Tandy played the role. Backstage, he told her she had destroyed his play. At 22 minutes, she had delivered it far too slowly. He then wrote to its director Alan Schnieder to say he would direct Billie Whitelaw in London himself, ‘to find out if this is theatre or not’.”
Not I
PERFORMER | Patricia Boyer
PERFORMANCE COACH | Gretha Brazelle
PRODUCER | POPArt Productions
CINEMATOGRAPHER | Duško Marović
EDITOR | Žana Marović
SOUND ENGINEERS | Soulfire Studios: Gavan Eckhart, Zain Vally, & Jacques Sibanda
LIGHTING DESIGNERS | Wesley France & Matthews Phala
COSTUME DESIGNER | Bake und Backen: Noluthando Lobese
SET & PROPS | Jenni-lee Crewe, Wesley France, Chris-Waldo de Wet, Christoff Wolmarans, Jacques van Staden, & Joey Netshiombo
STAGE MANAGERS | Dimakatso Motholo & Emil Lars
PHOTOGRAPHER | Stella Olivier
PLAY
Play is a one-act play by Samuel Beckett. It was written between 1962 and 1963 and first produced in German as ‘Spiel’ on 14 June 1963.
The decision to stage a series of short Beckett plays came out of William Kentridge and core-curator Khayelihle Dominique Gumede 's mutual interest in the playwright.
Play
PERFORMERS | Zethu Dlomo, Tony Miyambo & Boitumelo Motsoatsoe
DIRECTOR | Khutjo Bakunzi-Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER | Duško Marović
EDITOR | Žana Marović
SOUND ENGINEERS | Soulfire Studios: Gavan Eckhart, Zain Vally & Jacques Sibanda
LIGHTING DESIGNERS | Wesley France & Matthews Phala
COSTUME DESIGNER | Bake und Backen: Noluthando Lobese
SET & PROPS | Jenni-lee Crewe, Wesley France, Chris-Waldo de Wet, Christoff Wolmarans, Jacques van Staden, & Joey Netshiombo
STAGE MANAGERS | Dimakatso Motholo & Emil Lars
PHOTOGRAPHER | Stella Olivier
CATASTROPHE
For the first two nights of Season 1, The Centre for the Less Good Idea staged four short Samuel Beckett plays. This decision to stage Beckett came out of William Kentridge and Khayelihle Dominique Gumede 's mutual interest in the playwright.
The last in the line up was Catastrophe, directed by Kentridge. Beckett’s work is known for its existentialism. Catastrophe, however, is a very political play and one of the last that Beckett wrote. It was first published in the journal of Amnesty International in the late 1980s. It was dedicated to then-imprisoned Czech reformer and playwright, Václav Havel.
Kentridge first directed Catastrophe in the early 1990s. Two of the three actors that performed it then, Siphiwe Khumalo and Charles Comyn, have since passed away but Vanessa Cooke who played the role of the director’s assistant joined Hamilton Dhlamini and Xolani Mtendere Dlamini to re-stage the play 25 years later.
Catastrophe
PERFORMERS | Hamilton Dhlamini, Vanessa Cooke & Xolani Dlamini
DIRECTOR | William Kentridge
CINEMATOGRAPHER | Duško Marović
EDITOR | Žana Marović
SOUND ENGINEERS | Soulfire Studios: Gavan Eckhart, Zain Vally & Jacques Sibanda
LIGHTING DESIGNERS | Wesley France & Matthews Phala
COSTUME DESIGNER | Bake und Backen: Noluthando Lobese
SET & PROPS | Jenni-lee Crewe, Wesley France, Chris-Waldo de Wet, Christoff Wolmarans, Jacques van Staden, & Joey Netshiombo
STAGE MANAGERS | Dimakatso Motholo & Emil Lars
PHOTOGRAPHER | Stella Olivier