Adrian Kohler - Revision history

Ivor: /* Contribution to South African Theatre */

2025-05-24T13:17:59Z

Contribution to South African Theatre

Ivor at 13:02, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T13:02:34Z

Ivor at 12:58, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T12:58:45Z

Ivor at 12:51, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T12:51:52Z

Ivor at 12:47, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T12:47:36Z

Ivor at 12:39, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T12:39:36Z

Ivor at 12:34, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T12:34:45Z

Ivor: /* Biography */

2025-05-24T09:45:07Z

Biography

Ivor at 11:52, 10 May 2025

2025-05-10T11:52:29Z

Ivor: /* Biography */

2025-05-10T09:21:07Z

Biography

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 : ''[[Ubu and the Truth Commission]]''.
-: The opera ''[[Il Ritorno d’Ulisse]]'' ([[The Return of Ulysses]]), which premiéred at the celebrated [[Kunsten Festival des Artes]] in Brussels in 1998.
+: The opera ''[[Il Ritorno d’Ulisse]]'' ([[The Return of Ulysses]]), which premiéred at the celebrated [[Kunstenfestivaldesarts]] (KFDA) in Brussels in 1998.
 : Directed [[The Chimp Project]], co-directed by [[Kurt Wurstmann]], This multi-media show combines live actors, puppets and film footage.

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 Two years later he was called up by South African Defence Force to perform his compulsory military service in Angola but instead decided to move to Botswana where he and his partner, [[Basil Jones]] went into self-exile. There he gained employment with the the Adult Education Department of the University of Botswana for three years, working on the [[Laedza Batanani/Bosele Tshwaraganang Popular Theatre Program]].
-In January 1981 they returned to South Africa and moved to Cape Town where they formed the [[Handspring Puppet Company]]. Later, in 1985, they purchased a truck and for five years toured Southern Africa, performing children’s puppet theatre, mostly in schools.
+In January 1981 they returned to South Africa and moved to Cape Town where they formed the [[Handspring Puppet Company]]. Later, in 1985, they purchased a truck and toured Southern Africa for five years, performing children’s puppet theatre, mostly in schools.
 In all [[Handspring Puppet Company]]'s productions until [[Warhorse]] in 2007, both [[Adrian Kohler]] and [[Basil Jones]] performed and produced the work.

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 A discretionary award ([[Vita Award]], national) for their imaginative puppet creations featured in a number of productions in 1991.
-An [[ACT Awards]] ([[Arts & Culture Trust Awards of the President]]), [[Lifetime Achievement Award]], a [[Naledi Award]], [[Olivier Award]] and [[Tony Award]] for the puppets based on British author Sir [[Michael Morpurgo]]'s book, [[Warhorse]],
+An [[ACT Awards]] ([[Arts and Culture Trust of the President]]) Lifetime Achievement Award, a [[Naledi Award]], [[Olivier Award]] and [[Tony Award]] for the puppets based on British author Sir [[Michael Morpurgo]]'s book, [[Warhorse]],
 [The Kennedy Centre Medal]], [[The Royal Scottish Geographical Society Medal]] for [[Little Amal]] the large puppet [[Handspring Puppet Company]] created for the 2020 production [[The Walk]].

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 A discretionary award ([[Vita Award]], national) for their imaginative puppet creations featured in a number of productions in 1991.
-An [[ACT AWARDS]] ([[Arts & Culture Trust Awards of the President]]), [[Lifetime Achievement Award]], a [[Naledi Award]], [[Olivier Award]] and [[Tony Award]] for the puppets based on British author Sir [[Michael Morpurgo]]'s book, [[Warhorse]],
+An [[ACT Awards]] ([[Arts & Culture Trust Awards of the President]]), [[Lifetime Achievement Award]], a [[Naledi Award]], [[Olivier Award]] and [[Tony Award]] for the puppets based on British author Sir [[Michael Morpurgo]]'s book, [[Warhorse]],
 [The Kennedy Centre Medal]], [[The Royal Scottish Geographical Society Medal]] for [[Little Amal]] the large puppet [[Handspring Puppet Company]] created for the 2020 production [[The Walk]].

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 == Biography ==
 [[Adrian Kohler]] was born in Port Elizabeth and is one of four siblings of Harold and [[Thelma Kohler]]. He has a sister, Anita, and two brothers, Ivan and Frederick. They lived in the beautiful Port Elizabeth riverside village of Redhouse, alongside the Swartkops River.
 Adrian's mother was a well-known puppeteer and introduced him to the art of making puppets. He spent many hours furthering his skills in the family garage-cum-workshop. As a young child he attended art classes under Ms Gansler at the Child Art Centre in Park Dive. He studied Art as a subject for matric at the Port Elizabeth Technical College under [[Alex Kiddie]] and matriculated from the [[Grey High School]], Port Elizabeth, in 1969. His first puppet show was in 1971, ''[[Dr Doolittle]]'' which ran for nine performances.
 He completed his BA in Fine Art at the end of 1974 at the [[Michaelis School of Fine Art]], (part of the [[University of Cape Town]]) and then joined the [[Space Theatre|The Space]] from 1976 till 1977.
-Two years later he was called up by South African Defence Force to perform his compulsory military service in Angola but instead decided to move to Botswana where he and his partner, [[Basil Jones]] went into self-exile. He gained employment with the the Adult Education Department of the University of Botswana for three years, working on the [[Laedza Batanani/Bosele Tshwaraganang Popular Theatre Program]].
 In January 1981 they returned to South Africa and moved to Cape Town where they formed the [[Handspring Puppet Company]]. Later, in 1985, they purchased a truck and for five years toured Southern Africa, performing children’s puppet theatre, mostly in schools.
-In all [[Handspring Puppet Company]]'s productions until [[Warhorse]] in 2007, [[Adrian Kohler]] and [[Basil Jones]] both performed and produced the work.
 This included [[David Lytton]]'s ''[[Episodes of An Easter Uprising]]'' which was directed by [[Esther van Ryswyk]] and which led to his breakthrough into adult theatre after the declaration of the 1985 National State of Emergency.
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 : Co-founded the [[Handspring Puppet Company]] with [[Basil Jones]], [[Jill Joubert]] and [[Jon Weinberg]].
--87: Moved into full-scale theatre puppetry with a landmark production of ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' at the [[Baxter Theatre]], the [[Oude Libertas Theatre]], in Stellenbosch, 1986 and then at the [[Monument Theatre]], during the annual [[National Arts Festival]] in Grahamstown. The show was directed by [[Esther van Ryswyk]] and [[Fred Abramse]].
+-87: Moved into full-scale theatre puppetry with a landmark production of ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' at the [[Baxter Theatre]], followed by performances at the [[Oude Libertas Theatre]], Stellenbosch, and then at the [[Monument Theatre]], during the annual [[National Arts Festival]] in Grahamstown. All the shows were directed by [[Esther van Ryswyk]] and [[Fred Abramse]].
 /1988: The [[Handspring Puppet Company]] made the gull puppets for [[Robert Hewett]]’s ''[[Gulls]]'' directed by [[Keith Grenville]].
@@ Line 25: / Line 34: @@
 September 1990: The [[Handspring Puppet Company]] made the puppets and performed for [[Barney Simon]]’s ''[[Starbrites]]'' at the [[Market Theatre]].
--91: [[Adrian Kohler]] did work for TV including [[Spider's Place]], a 13-part TV, radio and comic series on science education for Primary School age children.
+-91: [[Adrian Kohler]] did work for TV including [[Spider's Place]], a 13-part, TV, radio and comic series on science education aimed at Primary School age children.
 : Produced [[Georg Büchner]]'s ''[[Woyzeck on the Highveld]]'' his first production with [[William Kentridge]] as designer/director. The show marked the beginning of a 10-year collaborative period together.

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 -91: [[Adrian Kohler]] did work for TV including [[Spider's Place]], a 13-part TV, radio and comic series on science education for Primary School age children.
-: Produced [[Georg Buchner]]'s ''[[Woyzeck on the Highveld]]'' his first production with [[William Kentridge]] as designer/director. The show marked the beginning of a 10-year collaborative period together.
+: Produced [[Georg Büchner]]'s ''[[Woyzeck on the Highveld]]'' his first production with [[William Kentridge]] as designer/director. The show marked the beginning of a 10-year collaborative period together.
 : ''[[Faustus in Africa]]''.

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 == Biography ==
-[[Adrian Kohler]] was born in Port Elizbeth and is one of two siblings of Harold and [[Thelma Kohler]]. His sister is Anita. They lived in the beautiful Port Elizabeth riverside village of Redhouse, alongside the Swartkops River. His mother was a well-known puppeteer and introduced both her children to the art of making puppets in the family garage cum workshop where Adrian spent many hours furthering his skills. As a young child he attended art classes under Ms Gansler at the Child Art Centre in Park Dive. He studied Art as a subject for matric at the Port Elizabeth Technical College under [[Alex Kiddie]] and matriculated from the [[Grey High School]], Port Elizabeth, in 1969. His first puppet show was ''[[Dr Doolittle]]'' which ran for nine performances.
+[[Adrian Kohler]] was born in Port Elizabeth and is one of four siblings of Harold and [[Thelma Kohler]]. He has a sister, Anita, and two brothers, Ivan and Frederick. They lived in the beautiful Port Elizabeth riverside village of Redhouse, alongside the Swartkops River.
-He completed a BA in Fine Art at the [[Michaelis School of Fine Art]], part of the [[University of Cape Town]]. In order to avoid conscription into the the South African Defence Force where he might be forced to enforce the apartheid laws of the time, Kohler went into self-exile and moved with his partner, [[Basil Jones]], to Botswana where he gained employment with the Department of Education and ran the National Popular theatre Programme (theatre for development group Laedza Banani) for three years. Using a truck as his base he travelled around Botswana and produced a number of shows. These included ''[[Voyages in the Highveld]]'' and [[David Lytton]]'s ''[[Episodes of An Easter Uprising]]'' directed by [[Esther van Ryswyk]]. This was his breakthrough into Adult Theatre after the declaration of the National State of Emergency in 1985.
+Adrian's mother was a well-known puppeteer and introduced him to the art of making puppets. He spent many hours furthering his skills in the family garage-cum-workshop. As a young child he attended art classes under Ms Gansler at the Child Art Centre in Park Dive. He studied Art as a subject for matric at the Port Elizabeth Technical College under [[Alex Kiddie]] and matriculated from the [[Grey High School]], Port Elizabeth, in 1969. His first puppet show was in 1971, ''[[Dr Doolittle]]'' which ran for nine performances.
-His puppets for Handspring are held in public and private collections including the Constitutional Court in South Africa, the Munich Stadtmuseum in Germany, and the Old Mutual Art Collection.
+This included [[David Lytton]]'s ''[[Episodes of An Easter Uprising]]'' which was directed by [[Esther van Ryswyk]] and which led to his breakthrough into adult theatre after the declaration of the 1985 National State of Emergency.
-==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance==
+== Awards ==
-Adrian worked for [[Space Theatre|The Space]] in the 1970s. There he had a role in the dance production ''[[The Family]]'' and in ''[[Thirteen Clocks]]'' and designed for the productions ''[[Endgame]]'', ''[[Mixed Doubles]]'', ''[[Old King Cole]]'', ''[[Patrick Pearse Motel]]'', ''[[Tsafendas]]'', [[Endgame]], and ''[[You'll Come To Love Your Sperm Test]]''.
+Awards, some shared with [[Basil Jones]], include an [[Artes Award]] for [[Spiders Place]].
-He wrote, made the puppets, directed and performed in ''[[Gertie's Feathers]]'', first performed in 1976 at [[The Space]].
+A discretionary award ([[Vita Award]], national) for their imaginative puppet creations featured in a number of productions in 1991.
-His [[Handspring Puppet Company]] made the gull puppets for Robert Hewett’s ''[[Gulls]]'' which [[Keith Grenville]] directed in 1987/1988. Adrian and [[Basil Jones]] made puppets for [[Barney Simon]]’s ''[[Starbrites]]'' which was staged at the [[Market Theatre]] in September 1990.
+An [[ACT AWARDS]] ([[Arts & Culture Trust Awards of the President]]), [[Lifetime Achievement Award]], a [[Naledi Award]], [[Olivier Award]] and [[Tony Award]] for the puppets based on British author Sir [[Michael Morpurgo]]'s book, [[Warhorse]],
-In the 1990s his collaboration with [[William Kentridge]] as designer/director led to widely celebrated productions of ''[[Woyzeck on the Highveld]]''  (1992), ''[[Faustus in Africa]]'' (1995), ''[[Ubu and the Truth Commission]]'' (1997) and the opera   ''Il Ritorno d’Ulisse'' (“The Return of Ullyses”),  which premiéred at the celebrated Kusten Festival des Artes in Brussels in 1998. He and Jones went on to do ''[[The Chimp Project]]'' (2000) and ''[[Tall Horse]]'' (2004). In these multi-media shows the company combine live actors, puppet and film footage.
+[The Kennedy Centre Medal]], [[The Royal Scottish Geographical Society Medal]] for [[Little Amal]] the large puppet [[Handspring Puppet Company]] created for the 2020 production [[The Walk]].
-== Awards, etc. ==
+A [[Vita Award]] (Gauteng region) for ''[[Faustus in Africa]]'', best set design, shared with [[William Kentridge]].
-A discretionary award ([[Vita Award]], national) for their imaginative puppet creations featured in a number of productions went to Adrian and [[Basil Jones]] in 1991.
+A [[Fleur du Cap]] (2001) for Best technical contribution to a theatre production for ''[[The Chimp Project]]''.
 == Sources ==
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 [[NELM]] catalogue.
-Grey Foundation Lecture by Adrian Kohler, May 9, 2025.
+Grey Foundation Lecture, Grey High School, by Adrian Kohler, May 9, 2025.
 == Return to ==

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-[[Adrian Kohler]]  (19**-) Artist, designer, dancer, dramatist, puppeteer.
+[[Adrian Kohler]]  (born: December 20, 1951.) Artist, designer, dancer, dramatist, puppeteer.
 == Biography ==
-[[Adrian Kohler]] is one of two siblings of Harold and [[Thelma Kohler]]. His sister is Anita. They lived in the beautiful Port Elizabeth riverside village of Redhouse, alongside the Swartkops River. His mother was a well-known puppeteer and introduced both her children to the art of making puppets in the family garage cum workshop where Adrian spent many hours furthering his skills. As a young child he attended art classes under Ms Gansler at the Child Art Centre in Park Dive. He studied Art as a subject for matric at the Port Elizabeth Technical College under [[Alex Kiddie]] and matriculated from the [[Grey High School]], Port Elizabeth, in 1969. His first puppet show was ''[[Dr Doolittle]]'' which ran for nine performances.
+[[Adrian Kohler]] was born in Port Elizbeth and is one of two siblings of Harold and [[Thelma Kohler]]. His sister is Anita. They lived in the beautiful Port Elizabeth riverside village of Redhouse, alongside the Swartkops River. His mother was a well-known puppeteer and introduced both her children to the art of making puppets in the family garage cum workshop where Adrian spent many hours furthering his skills. As a young child he attended art classes under Ms Gansler at the Child Art Centre in Park Dive. He studied Art as a subject for matric at the Port Elizabeth Technical College under [[Alex Kiddie]] and matriculated from the [[Grey High School]], Port Elizabeth, in 1969. His first puppet show was ''[[Dr Doolittle]]'' which ran for nine performances.
 He completed a BA in Fine Art at the [[Michaelis School of Fine Art]], part of the [[University of Cape Town]]. In order to avoid conscription into the the South African Defence Force where he might be forced to enforce the apartheid laws of the time, Kohler went into self-exile and moved with his partner, [[Basil Jones]], to Botswana where he gained employment with the Department of Education and ran the National Popular theatre Programme (theatre for development group Laedza Banani) for three years. Using a truck as his base he travelled around Botswana and produced a number of shows including ''[[Episodes of An Easter Uprising]]'' and ''[[Voyages in the Highveld]]''.