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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 Awards|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 Award|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/

Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]]

== Return to ==

Return to [[South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc.]]

Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]

Return to [[Main Page]]

Polony - Revision history

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