Elzabe Zietsman

Elzabe Catharina Zietsman (1961- ) is a South African actress and cabaret singer. She has also been credited Elsabe Zietsman and Elzabé Zietsman.

Biography

Youth

She was born on 20 January 1961 in Bethal, Eastern Transvaal (later Mpumalanga).

Training

She took singing lessons from Sarie Lamprecht in Johannesburg and studied Drama at the Technikon Pretoria.

Career

In 1982 Elzabe Zietsman started her acting career as a member of the PACT Youth Company, touring to schools in the Transvaal. She also took part in some of the main PACT productions at the time. After that she played various roles on stage, television and in film. In 1984 she played a role opposite Annelisa Weiland in a production of True Confusions, directed by Janice Honeyman. This led to her landing parts in cabarets and musical productions such as Ekskuus vir die Wals, written by Etienne van Heerden. In 1989 Elzabe gave her first solo performance at After Dark in Pretoria and since then she has become one of South Africa's most popular cabaret singers, with various prominent authors and composers creating shows specifically for her to appear in.

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

Elzabe Zietsman played her part in South African theatre, television and film, but her greatest contribution was as a cabaret singer. Not only did she perform in a large number of cabaret shows on stages across the country and ar arts festivals, but Elzabe Zietsman also inspired various talented South African authors and playwrights to create cabaret scripts specifically for her. In 1995 Nataniël wrote a one-woman cabaret for Elzabe, called In Glass. In 1998 she and André Schwartz wrote and performed in a cabaret called Schwartz and Zietsman. In October 1999 Elzabe’s first album X111 was released. In 2000 Elzabé and Amanda Strydom performed together at the KKNK and at Aardklop with their show Strydom en Zietsman in Alfabetiese Volgorde. In 2001 Elzabe and Coenie De Villiers were together on the stage at Aardklop with Songs – Ziets Sing Coenie. In 2002 Deon Opperman also wrote a show called Kaalgestroop, specifically for Elzabe to perform. In 2004 Wikus du Toit wrote a show, Smallchange, for Elzabe. And in 2008 Emma Bekker wrote her a cabaret called Agter Glas.

TO BE EDITED

She starred in Casper de Vries’ Hello South Africa/Hallo Suid-Africa, composed, directed and starring Casper de Vries, together with Johan Engelbrecht, June van Merch and Didi Kriel at the Windybrow Theatre circa 1986. She starred in the PACT-Lindberg production of King Africa at the Standard Bank Arena in 1988. She starred in Taubie Kushlick’s production of A Tribute to the Words and Music of Brel at Kushlicks Theatre Restaurant in September 1989. Looker On, 1992 with Rocco de Villiers, Grahamstown Festival

Quoted for the programme notes of Two Into One 1986: 'Elsabe was born in 1960 in Morgenzon (The White Hinterland) where there is one cafe, one garage and the bakery closed down. She went to school in Natal and Transvaal and studied drama at the Pretoria Technikon. In 1982 she started working for PACT. Since then she has done two television series, worked for CAPAB, SWAPAC, and The Market and Baxter theatres. Her most recent appearances were as one of the "Vlamme" in The David Kramer Jol and she then wowed the critics with her performance in the revue A… My Name is Alice for Pieter Toerien/Des and Dawn Lindberg.'

Sources

Elzabe Zietsman website [1]

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