Aja Marneweck - Revision history

Darryl: /* Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance */

2026-09-29T18:58:12Z

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

Darryl: /* Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance */

2026-09-28T10:27:56Z

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

Darryl: /* Biography */

2026-09-18T09:47:02Z

Biography

Darryl at 09:46, 18 September 2026

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2026-09-16T10:15:25Z

Sources

Darryl: /* Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance */

2026-09-16T10:15:03Z

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

Darryl: /* Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance */

2026-09-15T09:06:03Z

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

Darryl: /* Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance */

2025-12-29T15:54:17Z

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

Darryl: Created page with "Aja Marneweck (?-) is a puppeteer, visual performance artist and academic. == Biography == ==Training== She obtained an honours degree in video dance and theatre direc..."

2025-12-29T15:53:32Z

Created page with "Aja Marneweck (?-) is a puppeteer, visual performance artist and academic. == Biography == ==Training== She obtained an honours degree in video dance and theatre direc..."

New page

[[Aja Marneweck]] (?-) is a puppeteer, visual performance artist and academic.

== Biography ==

==Training==

She obtained an honours degree in video dance and theatre directing in Johannesburg in the 1990s. After completing a Masters degree in Puppetry at the [[University of Cape Town]] in 2004, she went on to create several multimedia puppetry productions that toured to over seven countries between 2005 and 2011. She completed the inaugural PhD in Practice as Research in Puppetry and Visual Performance in the Drama and African Gender Studies departments at the [[University of Cape Town]] in 2011.

== Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance ==

Aja Marneweck established [[The Paper Body Collective]] in 2004 in Cape Town. Marneweck began her puppetry career with [[Gary Friedman]] in Cape Town in 2001, collaborating on the site-specific puppetry production, ''[[Looking For a Monster]]''.

Marneweck’s puppetry performance techniques, termed ''Magic Um’lingo'', have developed over a period of ten years of performance research. Her experimental approach to puppetry combines multiple puppetry techniques (including full body latex puppetry, giant paper puppetry, shadow puppetry and mask) in a multicultural environment of bodies, site, sound and multimedia. Marneweck’s puppetry production on gender and migrancy, ''[[In Medea Res]]'', performed at the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes in Charleville-Mézières, France.

Marneweck also collaborated on various interdisciplinary projects with performance and dance artists, including [[Jane Taylor]] (write[[r/collaborator on the Handspring Puppet Company production of Ubu and the Truth Commission directed by William Kentridge) and]] Jay Pather (Chairman of the National Arts Festival Grahamstown, CEO of GIPCA Institute of Performing and Creative Arts), amongst others.

Aja Marneweck currently serves on the board of Puppetry South Africa ([[UNIMA SA]]) as its chairperson and is one of the founding co-directors of [[Out The Box International Festival of Puppetry and Visual Performance]].

== Awards ==

== Sources ==

https://wepa.unima.org/en/south-africa/

Go to the [[ESAT Bibliography]]

== Return to ==

Return to [[ESAT Personalities M]]

Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Personalities|South African Theatre Personalities]]

Return to [[Main Page]]

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 Marneweck also collaborated on various interdisciplinary projects with performance and dance artists, including [[Jane Taylor]] and [[Jay Pather]].
-Productions include: ''[[The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso]]'' and ''[[Aesop's Fables]]'' ([[Fugard Theatre]], 2010).
+Productions include: ''[[The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso]]'', ''[[The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Izigwili Ezidlakazelayo]]'' and ''[[Aesop's Fables]]'' ([[Fugard Theatre]], 2010).
 == Awards ==

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 Marneweck also collaborated on various interdisciplinary projects with performance and dance artists, including [[Jane Taylor]] and [[Jay Pather]].
-Productions include: ''[[The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso]]'' ([[Fugard Theatre]], 2010).
+Productions include: ''[[The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso]]'' and ''[[Aesop's Fables]]'' ([[Fugard Theatre]], 2010).
 == Awards ==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 == Biography ==
-Aja Marneweck is a professional visual performance artist, puppeteer and director/founder of The Paper Body Collective . Marneweck's artistic work is in the primary mediums of puppetry, multimedia and imaginative storytelling.
+Aja Marneweck is a professional visual performance artist, puppeteer and director/founder of [[The Paper Body Collective]]. Marneweck's artistic work is in the primary mediums of puppetry, multimedia and imaginative storytelling.
 ==Training==

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:15, 16 September 2026
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	https://wepa.unima.org/en/south-africa/		https://wepa.unima.org/en/south-africa/
		+
		+	https://www.thefugard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/the-fugard-programme-2010.pdf

	Go to the [[ESAT Bibliography]]		Go to the [[ESAT Bibliography]]

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Aja Marneweck currently serves on the board of Puppetry South Africa ([[UNIMA SA]]) as its chairperson and is one of the founding co-directors of [[Out The Box International Festival of Puppetry and Visual Performance]].
-Productions include: ''[[The Magic Flute – Impempe Yomlingo]]'' ([[Fugard Theatre]], 2010).
+Productions include: ''[[The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso]]'' ([[Fugard Theatre]], 2010).
 == Awards ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Aja Marneweck]] (?-) is a puppeteer, visual performance artist and academic.
-== Biography ==
+Aja Marneweck is a professional visual performance artist, puppeteer and director/founder of The Paper Body Collective . Marneweck's artistic work is in the primary mediums of puppetry, multimedia and imaginative storytelling.
 ==Training==
-She obtained an honours degree in video dance and theatre directing in Johannesburg in the 1990s. After completing a Masters degree in Puppetry at the [[University of Cape Town]] in 2004, she went on to create several multimedia puppetry productions that toured to over seven countries between 2005 and 2011. She completed the inaugural PhD in Practice as Research in Puppetry and Visual Performance in the Drama and African Gender Studies departments at the [[University of Cape Town]] in 2011.
+She obtained an honours degree in video dance and theatre directing in Johannesburg in the 1990s. After completing a Masters degree in Puppetry at the [[University of Cape Town]] in 2004, she went on to create several multimedia puppetry productions that toured to over seven countries between 2005 and 2011. In 2005 and 2006 she studied in Charleville Meziere, France in the summer workshops at the prestigious International Institute De La Marionette, receiving bursaries from the French Institute of South Africa and ESNAM. She completed the inaugural PhD in Practice as Research in Puppetry and Visual Performance in the Drama and African Gender Studies departments at the [[University of Cape Town]] in 2011.
 == Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance ==
@@ Line 12: / Line 13: @@
 Marneweck began her puppetry career with [[Gary Friedman]] in Cape Town in 2001, collaborating on the site-specific puppetry production, ''[[Looking For a Monster]]''.
-Aja Marneweck established [[The Paper Body Collective]] in 2004 in Cape Town.
+Aja Marneweck established [[The Paper Body Collective]] in 2004 in Cape Town.  Marneweck was also a founding co-director of the [[UNIMA SA]] festival, [[Out The Box International Festival of Puppetry and Visual Performance]] from 2005-2009. Marneweck has served on the board of ([[UNIMA SA]]) as its chairperson.
 Marneweck’s puppetry performance techniques, termed ''Magic Um’lingo'', have developed over a period of ten years of performance research. Her experimental approach to puppetry combines multiple puppetry techniques (including full body latex puppetry, giant paper puppetry, shadow puppetry and mask) in a multicultural environment of bodies, site, sound and multimedia. Marneweck’s puppetry production on gender and migrancy, ''[[In Medea Res]]'', performed at the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes in Charleville-Mézières, France.
 Marneweck also collaborated on various interdisciplinary projects with performance and dance artists, including [[Jane Taylor]] and [[Jay Pather]].
 Productions include: ''[[The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso]]'' ([[Fugard Theatre]], 2010).