Difference between revisions of "Puppet theatre in South Africa"

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#REDIRECT [[Puppet Theatre in South Africa]]
== Puppets, marionettes and other forms ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
== Origins of puppetry in South Africa==
 
 
 
 
 
Research suggests that there may have been a truly indigenous puppetry tradition in pre-colonial South Africa in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Karoo. However, a few puppets in mainly private collections are the only remains of it and the puppet theatre of today is mainly a product of the colonial cultural hegemony. *
 
 
 
 
 
== Colonial puppetry in South Africa ==
 
 
 
The oldest documented puppet show was given on 12 August 1800 in Cape Town by a French amateur group with shadow puppets.
 
 
 
From 1837 puppeteers from Italy, England, France and Germany performed at the Cape, often with marionettes.
 
 
 
Among the companies mentioned are"
 
 
 
'''[[Penn's Marionettes]]''', a company that apparently performed on 15 May 1863 as part of a "[[Faney Fair]]" in celebration of the marriage of the Prince of Wales, and later in June put on a performance for a "select audience" in a schoolroom in Caledon Street.
 
 
 
== South African puppetry in the 20th century ==
 
 
 
New impetus came through the emergence of local companies during the 1940s, mainly through the efforts of [[John Wright]] (*) and [[Frieda Ollemans]] (*). *
 
 
 
During the 1950s and 1960s there was a distinctive growth in the number of amateur- and semi-professional companies. In the 1961 the first local professional company was formed. By Keith Anderson  With the emergence of companies such as  Puppet Space, The Royal Puppet Company and the Johannesburg Civic Marionette Theatre in the late 1960s and early 1970s, along with the beginning of broadcast television in 1976, puppetry succeeded in becoming a reckoned entertainment and art form. 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Puppets and TV ===
 
 
 
 
 
Television was especially influential in the development of popular characters in children’s entertainment with puppets such as Haas Das, Karel Kraai, Sarel Seemonster and Bennie Boekwurm. By far the most popular were Liewe Heksie and her friends, created by Verna Vels.
 
 
 
 
 
=== Puppets in adult theatre ===
 
 
 
 
 
At present the Handspring Puppet Company is the most prominent professional company and reflects puppetry as a powerful tool in an emergent crossover theatre in South Africa. Their latest woerk, combining actors and puppets, with directors such as Esther van Ryswyk and particularly with William Kentridge. ****
 
 
 
== Puppetry and education ==
 
 
 
 
Puppetry is often used as an educational tool, as reflected in the activities of AREPP (African Research and Educational Puppetry Program)  International links are retained by local puppeteers through affiliate membership of UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionette). It is taught at the [[Universities of Stellenbosch]] and ***
 
 
 
(MK)
 
 
 
==Sources on Puppetry in South Africa==
 
 
 
[[Zuanda Badenhorst]] 2005. ''South African Puppetry for the Theatre since 1975''. Pretoria: [[Tshwane University of Technology]]. Unpublished master's thesis.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]]
 
 
 
== Return to ==
 
 
 
Return to [[The South African Context/General Terminology and Thematic Entries]]
 
 
 
Return to [[South African Theatre/Terminology and Thematic Entries]]
 
 
 
Return to [[South African Film /Terminology and Thematic Entries]]
 
 
 
Return to [[South African Media/Terminology and Thematic Entries]]
 
 
 
Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]
 
 
 
Return to [[Main Page]]
 

Latest revision as of 05:49, 5 January 2021