Wim Vorster

Wim Vorster (1949-) is an actor, teacher, stage manager, playwright, translator, theatre arts administrator and archivist.

Biography

Wim Vorster was born in Kimberley on 6 September 1949, the eldest of three children. His parents were Johannes Henning Vorster and Debora Marais Badenhorst and his sisters are Debbie and Hanli. He spent his childhood in Warrenton in the Northern Cape and matriculated at Warrenton High School.

He studied drama at the University of Pretoria Drama Department graduating with a B.Dram. degree in 1975. His lecturers at the time included the likes of Anna Neethling-Pohl, Hannes Horne, Neels Hansen, Fred Steyn, Carel Trichardt.

Career

He joined PACOFS in 1974, initially working as an actor, later also as stage manager. He then lived in George for a while (1978 to 1983), where he produced and acted in a number of plays for Die Rederykers amateur company (e.g. Boerneef van Boplaas, Wimpelwerk and Skemerstories). He returned to Bloemfontein to become the manager of the Drama company manager and literary adviser for PACOFS (1989-1994). During 1994 he relocated to Johannesburg, where worked as a freelance actor/author for a while (1994 - 2000) and as executive manager of JATO (Johannesburgse Afrikaanse Toneelorganisasie) (1998-2000),

In June of 2000 he was appointed as Literary Rights administrator and Librarian by DALRO (Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation). His appointment ended in 2010, with a 5 month contract till May to train his successor.

From November 2010 served as Administrative Head of the Kosie House of Theatre. In 2012 he relocated to Heidelberg in the Western Cape where he founded the Wim Vorster Toneelskool in 2013.

Given his knowledge of the full spectrum of the theatre industry in South Africa, he has, over the years, also served on numerous advisory panels, including as a patron of EADS (Edenvale Acting and Drama Society), an annual judge of their one-act competition for schools, various ATKV's judging panels for their Tienertoneel competition, the KKNK Kunstekabinet ("Arts Cabinet") and the Kanna Awards panel.

Vorster has received a number of accolades for his work, including the Piers Nicholson Award for his contribution to theatre in the Free State (1992) and a special Vita Award for his stage adaptations and translations (1993).

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Besides the various administrative positions noted above, Vorster also contributed substantially to the industry as creative and performing artist.

As actor for stage, film and TV

Stage

For SUKOVS he featured in The Jar (Pirandello), directed by Jannie Gildenhuys, Die Koningin en die Rebelle (Ugo Betti) directed by William Egan, Deathwatch (Jean Genet) directed by Johan Esterhuizen, Die Goeie Mens van Setzuan (Bertolt Brecht) directed by William Egan.

Appeared in and produced Boerneef van Boplaas, Wimpelwerk and Skemerstories for Die Rederykers in George (1978 to 1983)

Other stage roles include "Edward" in his own play Die Joburg Zoo Storie (directed by Christo Compion), his play Kuifman (an autobiographical one-man piece, 2011),

Film and TV

Known for Fiela se Kind (1988), Die Wilde Eend (1979) and To the Power of Anne (2012).

As director/producer

Directed A.S. van Straten's Pendoring (Edms) Beperk (with Paul Lückhoff and Tess van Staden), Diensmeisies (Jean Genet), My Arme Marat (Alexei Arbuzov), .

As stage manager

Stage manager for the NAPAC production Edwardian Scrapbook directed by Malcolm Woolffson in 1977, SWAPAC for productions Harold en Maude (directed by Hannes Horne, with Anna Neethling-Pohl) for the celebration of her 80th birthday and Vettie, Vettie! in 1986,

As translator and playwright

His numerous Afrikaans translations include Diensmeisies (Jean Genet), Not Now Darling, It Runs In The Family, Chase Me, Comrade! (Ray Cooney, as Vat So!), Oedipus (Hugo Claus), Die Kwinkslaers (Neil Simon's se The Sunshine Boys), Trainspotting (Irvine Welsh,) The Gypsy's Revenge (Michael Lambe), Miss Margarida's Way, (Roberto Athayde), Mindgame (translated as KUL), The Decorator (as Twee vir die prys van een)

He also did a few English translations, inter alia of the Afrikaans stage version of Fiela se Kind, .

Adaptations of prose works for the stage, include Die Verste Grens (Maretha Maartens), Maru (Bessie Head) and Skraap (a one act dramatization of Tippex Dit Uit by Annemarie Conradie) and Rudi van Rensburg's Hans bars die bioborrel (2024).

As a playwright he wrote a number of one-act and full length plays for both young people and adults. Among them are an African version of Medea (written at the behest of Jannie Gildenhuys, based on the versions by Euripides and Jean Anouilh in particular, but using an self-created African mythology). Other original plays are O, Hex!, Nagvoëls, Skimmespel (2005), Waterman (2006), Terugkere (2007), Smeltkroeg (2007), Pretpark (2008), Kruispad (2010), Nagmaal (2010), Vaas, Kuifman (2011, a one-act autobiographical play he also performed in), the dialogue texts for the Mr Gay South Africa Pageant (2011 and 2012), Alleensaam (a text for 3 performers, 2012), Steriel (2017) and TRANS/VAAL (2024)

As archivist/historian

Besides the curating work done for DALRO, he founded the online Facebook page Teaterargief ("Theatre Archive"), which seeks to provide a history of South African theatre in pictures.