Antony and Cleopatra

by William Shakespeare. Believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. First performed 16*.

Performance history in South Africa

First production in South Africa in 19* by **.

1972: Produced at Maynardville Open-Air Theatre with Michael Atkinson as Octavius Caesar, Cecilia Sonnenberg as Cleopatra and Roy Purcell as Antony.

1975: Directed by English director David Giles for CAPAB starring Sandra Prinsloo as Cleopatra and Michael Atkinson as Antony, opening 16 August at the Nico Malan Theatre. Other members of the cast included Peter Curtis, Peter Krummeck, Michael Drin, David Crichton, Nicholas Ellenbogen, Lois Butlin, Patti Canning, John Whiteley, Roger Dwyer, Robert Del Kyrke, Colin Duell, Mary Dreyer, Keith Grenville, Bill Jervis, Pietro Nolte, David Janes, Pamela Buchner. Stage manager Brian Kennedy assisted by Barry Jarvis. Sets and costumes designed by Peter Cazalet. This production was staged at the H.B. Thom Theatre 9-13 September and at the Settlers' Memorial in Grahamstown 17-20 September.

1987: Opened on 13 June, staged by NAPAC, in the Natal Playhouse, directed by John Hussey, with Eric Carte (Mark Antony), Dorothy-Ann Gould (Cleopatra), Gavin van den Berg (Octavius Caesar), James Irwin (Lepidus), Lynn Ellis (Octavia), Simon Heale, Andre Smith, Brian O'Shaughnessy, Andrew Wilson, Peter Gardner, Rodney Prynne, Pete Kruger, Stephen Gurney, Peter Holden, Drummond Marais, Ingride Mollison, Thuli Mtshali, Jabulani Chili, Ken Jackson, Madoda Ncayiyana and Bheki Mandlenkosi. Designed by Penny Simpson and lighting by Joe Freedman.

1993: Presented by CAPAB Drama at the Rhodes Theatre, Grahamstown at the National Arts Festival from 8 to 11 July and at the Nico Theatre from 17 July to 7 August. Direction was by Marthinus Basson, assisted by Tomothy Greene, design by Peter Cazalet, lighting by Malcolm Hurrell, music by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, stage director Patrick Curtis, stage manager Howard Simms. The cast: Andrew Buckland (Antony), Neels Coetzee (Lepidus), Blaise Koch (Caesar), Mary Dreyer (Octavia), Keith Grenville, Nic Ashby, Timothy Greene, Neels Coetzee, Nkosinathi Gqotso, Anthony Bishop, Cedwyn Joel, Aletta Bezuidenhout (Cleopatra), Claire Watling, Jana van Niekerk, Kurt Wüstman, Andrew Bosses, André Samuels, Mark Hoeben, Cedwyn Joel, André Roothman, Anthony Bishop, Peter Butler, Jamie Bartlett, Matthew Roberts, Timothy Mahoney, Angus Douglas, Morné Visser.

1999: A Take Away Shakespeare Company production was staged at the 1999 Grahamstown Festival starring Sean Taylor as Antony and Jana Cilliers as Cleopatra, and Greg Melvill-Smith, Megan Willson, Zane Meas, Gerrit Schoonhoven, Anthony Coleman and Annie Robinson. Directed by James Whyle, set and costume design by Sarah Roberts, lighting designer Michael Maxwell. The same production was staged in the Tesson Theatre at The Civic in July 1999.

2010: Staged at Maynardville Open-Air Theatre in Wynberg, Cape Town. Directed by Marthinus Basson with Tinarie van Wyk-Loots as Cleopatra, Andrew Laubscher as Caesar, André Weideman as Antony, Lionel Newton as Enorbarbus and Juliet Jenkin as Charmian.

Translations and adaptations

Translated into Afrikaans by Anna S. Pohl as Antonius en Cleopatra. (DALRO, 1969).

Sources

Teaterwoordeboek, Vaktaalburo, 1977.

NAPAC theatre programme, 1987.

Cape Times 15 June 1999.

Petru & Carel Trichardt theatre programme collection.

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