Leopold Senekal
Leopold Senekal (1977-). Designer.
Contents
Biograhy
Leopold Senekal was born in Gauteng, South Africa in 1977 and grew up in Polokwane.
He studied Drama at the University of Stellenbosch, Western Cape and completed his BDam degree, after which he specialized in Scenography and Production Design obtaining his Bdram Hons. degree in 2000.
He launched his professional career as Production Designer with the international hit The Mysteries in 2001. Leopold quickly established himself as an accomplished designer working on various projects both locally and abroad.
In 2001 Leopold moved abroad where he took up a teaching position at St. Benedicts Performing Arts Collage, Derbyshire UK. During this time Leopold and his wife travelled extensively over Europe and North Africa juggling teaching and theatre projects. After eight years abroad Leopold moved back to Cape Town and launched his own company, Good Call Production Design House, continuing his career as stage designer working with some of South Africa's best designers, directors and producers in both theatre and television.
He and his family moved to Limpopo province where he directed all his creative energy into his painting and in 2019 back to Cape Town.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Leopold has worked as production manager and/or designer on a number of stage productions, including:
1997: Steel Magnolias (University of Stellenbosch Drama Department)
1998: Baal (University of Stellenbosch Drama Department)
1998: Die Vryerige Spook (University of Stellenbosch Drama Department)
1999/2000?: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (University of Stellenbosch Drama Department)
2000: Vieux Carré (University of Stellenbosch Drama Department)
2009: Under the Fig Tree (Jester Productions)
2010: Is It Because I'm Jack? (Aardklop)
2010: Aesop's Fables (Fugard Theatre)
2010: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Izigwili Ezidlakazelayo (Fugard Theatre)
2010: Woyzeck (Baxter Theatre)
2011: 'n Seder Val in Waterkloof (Impresario)
2011: Purgatorio (Baxter Theatre & National Arts Festival)
2014: Did We Dance: The Sinking of the SS Mendi
Dates unknown: Second Time Round, Kap Aan, Disco Nights, New Boy, Viaggio a Reims.
Awards, etc.
He was awarded the US Production Design award in 1999 for Rohald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and again in 2000 for Tennessee Williams's Vieux Carré.
In 2011 Leopold was nominated for two Fleur du Caps and won the coveted accolade for his production design of Aesop's Fables in collaboration with the Fugard Theatre. The same year Leopold was awarded the GIPCA emerging director's grant to stage Words Words Words by David Ives.
Best design (costumes and set) Fleur du Cap, 2011, for Woyzeck and Aesop's Fables.
Sources
SouthAfricanArtists.com [1].
IMDb [2].
Die Burger, 21 March 2011.
Business Day, 10 May 2011.
https://www.thefugard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/aesops-fables-programme.pdf
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