Gail Reagon

Gail Reagon (19*-). Academic, critic and journalist.

Biography

Born and educated in Cape Town, she started performing at the age of four, competing in eistedfods while at primary school. She studied at the University of the Western Cape, doing a masters on South African drama?*.

Worked for The Space theatre in Cape Town and also stayed in Gauteng for six years, performing as jazz singer with Nick Carter.

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

She performed in The Final Sting of the Dying Wasp (Space Theatre, 1979).

In 1987 she was cast in David Kramer and Taliep Petersen’s District Six – The Musical, after which followed a number of plays for the Baxter Theatre and CAPAB, including Buckingham Palace, District Six and Dying Breed.

Other productions include Juno and the Paycock, Can't Pay? Won't Pay!, True Confusions, Quess Who's Coming to Dinner, (1993).

In 1994 she moved to Gauteng, to perform in Fiela se Kind for PACT, and on her return she did Kinkels innie Kabel for CAPAB, Tarts and Glassroots for the Baxter Theatre.

She also performed in Adam Small’s Hey Smile Wit' Me, Barney Simon’s Call Me Woman.

Awards, etc

Dying Breed (for which she won a Fleur du Cap as best supporting actress for her dynamic performance)

Glassroots for the Baxter Theatre (winning a second Fleur du Cap as best supporting actress in 1999).

Sources

SACD 1980/81.

Astbury 1979.

Die Burger, 26 April 1993.

Cape Times, 14 March 1995.

Pretoria News, 11 April 2001.

NELM Literary Awards database.

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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