Hester die Maltrap

Hester die Maltrap ("Hester The Madcap") is an Afrikaans play by Gerrit Naudé (fl. 1960s).

The original text

First performed as Hester die Maltrap in 1964 by Johan Fourie and his touring company under this name and billed as an Afrikaans play by Gerrit Naudé (fl. 1960s).

In 1965 the Pieter Fourie Genootskap took a play called Ester die Maltrap ("Esther The Madcap") on tour, which seems to suggest that it was written by Pieter Fourie himself, since it was his practice to write light sentimental plays for the company while touring. However, it may simply have been an adapted version of the play used by Johan Fourie.

In the latter case there is also a strong possibility that "Gerrit Naude" (or "Gerrit Naudé") was in fact a pseudonym for Johan Fourie, or even for Pieter Fourie, who had by then also begun to write plays.

No text by either name has survived it seems.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1964: Hester die Maltrap staged in the Bellville Civic Theatre by the Johan Fourie-toneelgeselskap, directed by Johan Fourie, with himself as "Andre Basson", Fabienne Ranken as "Mev. Conradie" and Lida Meiring as both "Hester Conradie" and "Linda du Toit".

1965: Ester die Maltrap is listed among the plays (written?) and produced by the Pieter Fourie Genootskap on their tours through South Africa.

Sources

Johan Fourie-toneelgeselskap theatre programme (undated).

Nico Luwes 2012. Pieter Fourie (1940-) se bydrae as Afrikaanse dramaturg en kunsbestuurder: 1965-2010. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Bloemfontein: University of the Free State, pp.127-132 [1]

https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Fourie

Interview with Lydia Theron, Cape Town 18 January, 2019.

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