Des Lindberg
Des Lindberg (born 1941). Singer, performer, theatre entrepreneur.
Contents
Training
He obtained a B.A from Wits, also qualified in lighting and stage design, obtained a diploma in Salzburg.
Biography
Born in Johannesburg, educated at St. Johns and Wits. (BA English, Zulu, African Admin.) Diploma in Lighting & Stage Design from Salzburg. The 1960's was Folk Songs and coffee bars, and Des led the scene at the Troubadour in Doornfontein.
Des met and married Dawn Silver. They began performing together as Des and Dawn Lindberg. They collaborated on a number of projects, under the banners of Folk on Trek Productions, The Soirée Society and CAT Productions.
The couple have two sons, Adam and Joshua Lindberg.
For further information on their joint work, see the entry Des and Dawn.
For Dawn Lindberg's biographical and career information, see the individual entry under Dawn Lindberg.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
As folk singer
By the mid-1960s, Des Lindberg had already established himself as a fine folk singer and he achieved enormous success with an Afrikaans song, ‘Die Gezoem Van Die Bye’, which went to number one on the South African charts where it remained for 20 weeks.
His albums include:
- A Long and a Dusty Road
- Come Near and Listen...
- Des Lindberg: Live
As theatre producer
The Lindbergs produced a number of theatre productions.
For further information on these, see Des and Dawn.
As actor
Des appeared in a number of productions.
Des and Dawn Lindberg joined Robert Kirby in his show 8 Birds at the Labia Theatre in 1970. They helped convert the Carlton Cinema in Von Weilligh Street into a small theatre which opened with Birds of a Feather (a revised version of 8 Birds), also about 1970.
He starred in Watermelons in 1962. He performed in Godspell (1973, 1974), The Shrew (1975, 1980) and in The Black Mikado (1976).
He played the Narrator in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1980).
Together with Dawn, they performed Sex, Tango and Everything Else in the State Theatre Arena (2001).
As writer
He was contracted by Taubie Kushlick, the producer, to write extra music and lyrics, for The Wizard of Oz, her Children's Theatre production, while Dawn Silver did choreography. Keith Blundell was the musical director, Nina Campbell-Quine did décor, while Heather MacDonald-Rouse did costumes. It was staged at the Wits Great Hall in 1965.
He scripted Lennon in 1981 which was performed at the Arena Bistro and the Baxter Theatre.
As Arts administrator
An active member of the South African Association of Theatre Managements, he became its chairman in 1982, taking over from Michal Grobbelaar and remaining as chairman until SAATM disbanded. He was elected chairman of Theatre Managements of South Africa in 1994, and remained as chairman for 22 years. He was on the Boards of the State Theatre and the Joburg Theatre for 5 years each. He crafted the new Standard Theatre Contract with the theatre Agents and Actors’ Union in 1998, which is still in use today.
Awards
Des and Dawn Lindberg were named Living Legends by Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa in 2015.
Sources
SACD 1973; 1974; 1975/76; 1981/82.
Various entries in the NELM catalogue.
Tucker, 1997.
Schwartz, 1988, De Beer, 1995, Joyce, 1999.
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