BRITAINS Royal National Threatre Studio — patron HM the Queen — is due to visit South Africa to hold workshops and classes at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. The visit, led by NT head Sue Higginson, will take place from September 26 to October 7.
A group of about 30 people from the NT — including Sir Ian McKellen, Sue Laurie, Denise Wong and South African-born Antony Sher, as well as representatives of the Black Mime Theatre — will attend.
The NTs Studio is a centre for research and development, self-described as catholic in taste and eclectic in influence. It provides a space in which playwrights, directors and actors can refine their skills and experiment with new ideas.
The programme at the Market will include intensive work with two core groups of 50 actors from all over South Africa, encompassing warm-up, voice, improvisation and other techniques; a course for 15 field-workers involved in community theatre initiatives; and a course for educators on basic theatre skills and bringing to life texts such as those of Shakespeare.
NT director Richard Eyre said that the visit is a great opportunity for us both to deepen our understanding of our countries different experiences and to celebrate our mutual love of theatre … I believe this will make for a memorable two weeks.
The relationship between the NT and the Market goes back a long way — 17 years, in fact, though this is the first time there has been an exchange of this kind. The Markets Company has taken many productions to London under the aegis of the NT, ranging from Athol Fugards A Lesson from Aloes in 1980 to Percy Mtwas Bopha! in 1986.