Johan Esterhuizen

Johan Esterhuizen (1947-). Actor for radio, stage, television and film, theatre director, applied theatre practitioner, theatre administrator and lecturer.

Biography

Born in Natal, he studied in Stellenbosch. After graduating from the University of Stellenbosch with a BA degree in Drama in 1969, he was appointed to permanent Afrikaans company of CAPAB by Pieter Fourie. He later went to England for a while, where he taught in high school, and on his return in 1974 he joined PACOFS as an actor and director, and eventually returned to the Cape and rejoined CAPAB (1977).

On 1 January 1985 he became head of drama at CAPAB and remained there until 1989. He then became a lecturer in the Drama Department of the University of Stellenbosch, where he later also became the director of the H.B. Thom Theatre. In this time he acquired an MA in Drama from the university. He retired as lecturer in 2015.

He was a member of A Company of Actors.

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

For CAPAB he has appeared in Die Wonderwerk, The Government Inspector, Ek, Anna van Wyk.

He also had roles over the years in Anastasia, Macbeth, The House Under the Trees, Boeing-Boeing, Exit the King, Faust, Kinkels innie Kabel, The Merchant of Venice, Picnic on the Battlefield, The Rivals, Siener in die Suburbs, Yerma, Roulette, Titus Andronicus, August, August, August, Mattewis en Meraai, Along Came a Spider, Bobbeltjie, Cock-Ups, The Kimberley Circus, The Frogs, Oh What a Lovely War!, Op Hoop van Zegen, Dom Juan, ou Le Festin de Pierre, 'n Seder Val in Waterkloof.

Johan directed or co-directed Binneste-Buite, Cinderella, Drif, My Plaas se Naam is Vergenoeg, Mymering, Ons Hou Konsert, From My Point of View, Deathwatch, Die Brandstigters, Een Bruid in de Morgen, Women Behind Bars, Sneeuwitjie, Skool vir Hansworse, Happy Birthday, Plague of Innocence, The New Quichote and Chinamen, Die Vampier, Kings of Rok,

He directed Why Strelitzias Can’t Fly in 1983. He later translated the play into Afrikaans, entitled Waarom Strelitzias Nie Kan Vlieg Nie and directed a production of that version in 2001.

Sources

Grütter, Wilhelm, CAPAB 25 Years, 1987. Unpublished research. p 89.

Ek, Anna van Wyk theatre programme, 1984.

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