I was in Dublin for the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival where I was a panellist. I am currently re-reading, looking again at the complicated madness of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
I have just read 15 pages of the introduction to the novel. I was around the corner from the apothecary that Molly Bloom visits in the book.
I am also re-reading Milan Kundera. I have just re-read The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I am trying to take stock of those curious people and their curious lives. I am also reading JM Coetzee’s Summertime. He is a really good writer.
At the moment I am listening to South American tango music. In South Africa I am a great fan of Lira, she strikes me as very beautiful and stylish and she’s a very good performer.
I love eating breakfast and my favourite restaurant is Salvation Café at 44 Stanley Avenue in Milpark. My favourite part of the city has got to be Newtown.
For the love of Newtown
I am deeply involved in Newtown and its development.
If I were town planner for a year I would try to fast-track some of the developments so that they don’t get blocked by bureaucracy. More space and money should be given to culture.
My favourite food is lamb. I love lamb — legs of lamb, lamb chops — lamb speaks to me.
Interesting young directors? There’s no doubt that James Ngcobo is a very interesting director. He’s not so young in age but he switched from being an actor to directing. I think he’s got great talent.
I wish we could see some of the productions I saw in Dublin. I saw Samuel Beckett’s What Where. I also saw John Gabriel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen. I saw Celebration, Harold Pinter’s last play, staged very beautifully. I saw many other things, but those three come to mind.
The National Arts Festival has been hosting some Irish visits. They will be more placed to host some.
Ireland
I enjoyed my time in Dublin. It was very beautiful and it’s lovely being in a place where they love theatre, where they go to the theatre, where they support theatre. The Irish have a great history of great writers — James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, John Synge, Samuel Beckett and others.
I am big fan of Arts on Main — it’s a fabulously sensitive reworking of a beautiful space. I prefer we consolidate this node. The last film I watched was Julianne Moore in Chloe. I love Julianne Moore but I thought the story was not a good one.
I am enjoying the fact that The Girl in the Yellow Dress is coming back to Johannesburg after touring half the world. — Percy Zvomuya
The Girl in the Yellow Dress opens on October 21