Dale Cutts

Dale Cutts (1938-2013) was a South African actor and writer.

Biography

Dale was born in Durban and attended the Northlands Boys High School. He was married to Janine Neethling.

Training

He studied for a BA degree at the University of Natal in 1958.

Career

He started his career as a radio announcer at the SABC. He entered the professional theatre in 1964. Since 1986 Dale has been a principal actor with PACT Drama Company. As a freelance actor he subsequently worked with other theatre companies and managements. Some of the highlights of his career have been with the Market Theatre.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Performed in The Mating Game (with The Academy), You Can't Take it With You (with Brooke), Not in Front of the Kids (with Revue), Twigs, Troilus and Cressida, Elizabeth I, What the Butler Saw, Mama is Terry Home for Good and in Play it again, Sam (as “Humphrey Bogart”).

Starred in a revival of Journey's End, directed by Norman Coombes for PACT at the Market Theatre in February 1977. It also starred Frantz Dobrowsky, Richard Haines, Michael McCabe, John Rogers and Norman himself. Starred in Pieter-Dirk Uys’ Karnaval, directed by Dawie Malan and also starring Lida Botha, Magda Beukes and Joey de Koker at Upstairs at the Market in 1981. Starred in the Baxter Theatre production of Seer in the Suburbs, the English translation of P.G. du Plessis’s Siener in die Suburbs together with Trudie Taljaard, Bo Petersen and Marcel van Heerden at The Academy in 1981. She starred in Pieter Toerien and Shirley Firth’s last joint production namely the Baxter Theatre production of Robert Kirby’s It's a Boy! together with Bo Petersen and James Irwin with direction by Keith Grenville at the Intimate Theatre in 1982. Starred in PACT’s production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross together with Wilson Dunster, Anthony Fridjhon and Bill Flynn under Bobby Heaney’s direction at the Alexander Theatre in 1985. Starred in Bobby Heaney’s production of Largo Desolato in 1988. Starred in the Moira Blumenthal-PACT production of Ghetto in 1991. Starred in Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King's Horseman in 1992. Starred in Romeo and Juliet at the State Theatre and the Alexander in 1992. Starred in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance and in The Substance of Fire in 1993.

Some of the highlights of his career have been with the Market Theatre in productions such as Marat/Sade, Shades of Brown and The Biko Inquest. Other productions include Titus Andronicus, Spinning Out, Three Hotels, Ibchek, Krapp's Last Tape.

Aladdin: Pantomime, (Cape Flavour)Dir: Maralin Vanrenen: Charles Comyn, Adrienne Pearce, Peter Krummeck & Jennifer Ferguson, Peter Butler, Mike Chase, Baxter Theatre, 1984. Marilyn Taylor's musical band. Death of a Salesman, Tennesee Williams, Director: Bobby Heaney ,2001. Lighting design: Mannie Manim. Music: Janine Neethling, Set design: Stan Knight. Baxter Theatre.

Awards, etc

Dale has been nominated for several awards and in 1992 he won the Sunday Star/Johannesburg Critics Circle Award for his role as Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet.

He won a Naledi Lifetime Achiever Award, February 2005.

Sources

SACD 1974; 1975/76; 1979/80.

The Substance of Fire programme notes, 1993.

Profile written by Rina Minervini, The Rand Daily Mail, 9 March 1979.

Tucker, 1997.

Various entries in the NELM catalogue.

The Star, 15 February 2005.

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