Gerrit Wessels
Gerrit Wessels (19**-) Actor.
Contents
Biography
Training
He studied in London with an NTO bursary until 1952.
Career
Professional actor since circa 1944. Was a member of the Gwen ffrangçon-Davies / Marda Vanne Company before he joined the NTO's last bilingual company (1950).
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Acted in Candida (1950) and Oupa Brompie (1950).
He starred in Ben Jonson’s hit show Volpone which was directed by Leonard Schach for the National Theatre at the Reps Theatre in 1952. Also starring Pieter Geldenhuys, Siegfried Mynhardt, Edna Jacobson, Frank Wise and Vivienne Drummond. Volpone enjoyed another run at the Benoni Town Hall later that same year.
He had roles in The Dam (1952), Twelfth Night (1953), So praat die ou rivier (1954).
Starred in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot which was directed by Leonard Schach and staged at the Little Theatre in Cape Town in 1955. It was staged again at the Technical College Hall in March 1956 and also starred Alec Bell and Gavin Haughton.
He also appeared in Germanicus in 1957 and Skrikkeljaar in 1958.
In the 1960s he had leading roles in a number of CARFO films, including Ek sal opstaan (1959) (Carfo's first full-length film), Kyk na die sterre (1960)
Awards, etc
Sources
Oupa Brompie theatre programme, 1950.
Skrikkeljaar programme notes, 1958.
Tucker, 1997. 64, 90.
https://www.gemeentegeskiedenis.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CARFO-Films.pdf
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