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Kiri Pink Nob Arts (2014-)

Kiri Pink Nob Arts (Pty) Ltd, also Kiri Pink Nob, often abbreviated KPN, is a black-owned live arts production house based in [[Johannesburg]]. It produces straight plays, sketch comedy, poetry-in-performance productions and slams, stand-up comedy, and variety bill performance events.

== Founding and aims ==

The company was formally incorporated in March 2014, owned and run by the writer, director and performer [[Jefferson Tshabalala]] ("J.Bobs"), together with a co-owner*. Its work predates the registration: under the KPN name, Tshabalala had been staging the KPN Live Art Sessions since January 2011, multi-day events in Newtown, Johannesburg, mixing theatre sketches, comedy, poetry and live music. The stated aim of the sessions was to present original and innovative performance and to build a platform for a developing contemporary performance community.

== History ==

Through the 2010s KPN built a body of sketch comedy, hip-hop theatre and poetry-in-performance work, including the political protest farce ''Secret Ballot'', written and directed by Tshabalala, and the township-arts project Kiri Goes Kasi. In 2019 the company produced ''[[Ekasi Lam]]’'' (an "ode to kwaito"), a kwaito anti-musical written and directed by Tshabalala, which premiered at the [[National Arts Festival]] and was performed at [[The Centre for the Less Good Idea]] in Johannesburg. KPN has also run the TEWOP poetry initiative. In November 2019 its founder, Tshabalala, was named the 2020 [[Standard Bank Young Artist]] for Theatre.

== Sources ==

'Show Review – Kiri Pink Nob (KPN) Live Art Session', ''Sunday Times'', 13 January 2011.

'Theatre is taking townships by storm', ''IOL'', 30 August 2018.

'Meet the 2020 Standard Bank Young Artists', ''Bizcommunity'', 6 November 2019.

'August 2019 | For Once | Ekasi Lam’', [[The Centre for the Less Good Idea]].

https://www.a4arts.org/projects/recEVXQXCx8vrDpf4-jefferson-bobs-tshabalala

Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]]

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