Elzabe Zietsman

Elzabe Catharina Zietsman (1961- ) is a South African actress and cabaret singer. She has also been credited Elsabe Zietsman and Elzabé Zietsman.

Youth
She was born on 20 January 1961 in Bethal, Eastern Transvaal (later called Mpumalanga).

Training
She took singing lessons from Sarie Lamprecht in Johannesburg and studied Drama at the Technikon Pretoria.

Career
In 1982 Elzabe Zietsman started her acting career as a member of the PACT Youth Company, touring to schools in the Transvaal. She also took part in some of the main PACT productions at the time. After that she played various roles on stage, television and in film. In 1984 she played a role opposite Annelisa Weiland in a production of True Confusions, directed by Janice Honeyman. This led to her landing parts in cabarets and musical productions such as Ekskuus vir die Wals, written by Etienne van Heerden. In 1989 Elzabe gave her first solo performance at After Dark in Pretoria and since then she has become one of South Africa's most popular cabaret singers, with various prominent authors and composers creating shows specifically for her to appear in.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Elzabe Zietsman played her part in South African theatre, television and film, but her greatest contribution is as a cabaret singer and performer. Not only has she performed in a large number of cabaret shows on stages across the country and at arts festivals, but Elzabe Zietsman has also inspired various talented South African authors and playwrights to create cabaret scripts specifically for her to perform. In 1995 Nataniël wrote a one-woman cabaret for Elzabe, called In Glass. In 1998 she and André Schwartz wrote and performed in a cabaret called Schwartz and Zietsman. In October 1999 Elzabe’s first album X111 was released. In 2000 Elzabé and Amanda Strydom performed together at the KKNK and at Aardklop with their show Strydom en Zietsman in Alfabetiese Volgorde. In 2001 Elzabe and Coenie de Villiers were together on the stage at Aardklop with Songs – Ziets Sing Coenie. In 2002 Deon Opperman also wrote a show called Kaalgestroop, specifically for Elzabe to perform. In 2004 Wikus du Toit wrote a show, Smallchange, for Elzabe. And in 2008 Emma Bekker wrote her a cabaret called Agter Glas.

In 2003 Elzabe, together with Sean Else and Theresa du Preez, established Kookoo Productions, an independent South African theatre production company.

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