Polony

POLONY (2012-*)

POLONY was an award-winning Afrikaans theatre collective, or "produksiehuis" (production house). It was co-founded and led by the director and playwright Christiaan Olwagen.

Founding and aims

Polony was formed in 2012 by Christiaan Olwagen together with a group of fellow postgraduate students from the University of Stellenbosch. The members set out to make the kind of theatre they themselves wanted to see and to draw a younger generation of theatregoers. The collective works on a loose, collaborative basis: members come together when the opportunity arises but remain free to work on other productions, and are not necessarily paid.

History

Members and collaborators traced to the collective include Christiaan Olwagen, Wessel Pretorius, Gideon Lombard, Hannah Borthwick, Roeline Daneel, Mariechen Vosloo and Kelly-Eve Koopman.

Productions presented under the Polony name include N is vir Neurose, Die lelike eend, Tjop & dop (also styled Tjop-en-dop), Meerfout and Waterpas. By late 2014 the collective had staged five successful plays.

N is vir Neurose, written and directed by Christiaan Olwagen, is a black comedy about the anxieties of young adults — work, marriage, children and finding love — all before the age of 30. It sold out at the Woordfees in Stellenbosch in 2012 and was then staged at the Baxter Theatre (Golden Arrow Studio) as part of a season of Woordfees hits titled Fees van die Uitverkooptes, and at the Klein Libertas Theatre in Stellenbosch until 28 June 2012. The cast comprised Hannah Borthwick (as Shani), Wessel Pretorius, Roeline Daneel and Mariechen Vosloo.

Waterpas, written by Wessel Pretorius, won the Kanna for Best Comedy. The collective's work featured regularly at the Woordfees and at Aardklop.

Several members are also known for acclaimed work outside the collective. Gideon Lombard, for example, won multiple awards for his solo performance in Die Reuk van Appels (2017), a stage adaptation of Mark Behr's novel — although that production was presented by Theatrerocket Productions and directed by Lara Bye, not by Polony. Christiaan Olwagen was named the Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre in 2015 and subsequently moved into film, directing features including Kanarie (2018) and Poppie Nongena (2020).

Sources

George, Tina. 2012. 'Black comedy deals with young adults' issues', Cape Times (IOL), 22 May 2012. https://iol.co.za/entertainment/whats-on/2012-05-22-black-comedy-deals-with-young-adults-issues/

2012. 'Magnet Theatre Announces CHICKENS Creative Team', BroadwayWorld South Africa, 15 October 2012. https://www.broadwayworld.com/south-africa/article/Magnet-Theatre-Announces-CHICKENS-Creative-Team-20121015

2013. Feeswoord blog (Marthinus Basson), LitNet, 8 March 2013. http://blogs.litnet.co.za/feeswoord/tag/marthinus-basson/

2014. 'Christiaan Olwagen sets the stage for the 2015 SBYAA for Theatre', Mail & Guardian, 4 November 2014. https://mg.co.za/article/2014-11-04-christiaan-olwagen-sets-the-stage-for-the-2015-sbyaa-for-theatre/

Stellenbosch University. Woordfees programme news (mirror). https://stellenbosch68.rssing.com/chan-15952749/all_p24.html

2015. 'Book Wings South Africa 2015', International Writing Program, University of Iowa. https://iwp.uiowa.edu/programs/book-wings/2015-South-Africa

Fick, David. 2017. 'Five on Friday with Gideon Lombard of Die Reuk van Appels at The Fugard Theatre', BroadwayWorld South Africa, 13 October 2017. https://www.broadwayworld.com/south-africa/article/BWW-Interview-Five-on-Friday-with-Gideon-Lombard-of-DIE-REUK-VAN-APPELS-at-The-Fugard-Theatre-20171013

2018. 'Die Reuk Van Appels', B Sharp Entertainment, October 2018. https://bsharp-entertainment.com/die-reuk-van-appels/

2025. 'A Kind of Madness: Christiaan Olwagen's Poignant Masterpiece', Writing Studio. https://writingstudio.co.za/a-kind-of-madness-christiaan-olwagens-poignant-masterpiece/

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