Dawie Malan

(1949-1988) Actor and director. Born in Upington, he trained at the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department. An immensely creative and talented performer and director, he battled physical disability and health problems to firmly establish himself as an influential presence in the Cape theatre of the 1970s and early 1980s. * In the time he worked at the Space Theatre, where he performed in Black Beauty and the Boss (Pieter-Dirk Uys, Labia, 1976), Snowhite & the Special Branch! (Pieter-Dirk Uys, Labia, 1976), He soon turned to directing and directed i.a. Die Trommel, Eskoriaal, Piekniek te Velde and Wooed and Viewed, and acted in Line / It’s called the Sugar Plum, Skyvers/Jollers, Snow White and the Special Branch, Tis Pity she’s a Whore and Workplay. For a while worked for the CAPAB Company on ***. After more time at The Space (see above), he joined SWAPAC (for whom he did ***). He moved to Johannesburg and in 1977 became a founder member of Fringe, for whom he directed Exit the King, Deathwatch, Die Van Aardes van Grootoor, Info Scandals, The Haunted Host ** Farce About Uys (Pieter-Dirk Uys, 1983), Total Onslaught 1984 (Pieter-Dirk Uys, 1984). A number of these played at the Market Theatre, where he also directed International Stud (19**) and helped build The Laager, Also did freelance work for [?* Chris Pretorius’s Glasteater /Glass Theatre ]. Died tragically at the age of **. He directed the Pieter-Dirk Uys play Die Van Aardes van Grootoor at the Baxter Theatre (1977) and as the opening production for the Laager Theatre in September 1978. He directed the play Info Scandals at The Laager in 1979. He directed Pieter-Dirk Uys’ Karnaval starring Magda Beukes, Lida Botha, Dale Cutts and Joey de Koker at Upstairs at the Market in 1981.

Sources

Astbury, 1979; Schwartz, 1988; Tucker, 1997

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