Difference between revisions of "Des Lindberg"
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They formed a club called the [[South African Living Theatre]] (SALT) to get around the governments opposition to their multi-racial company. | They formed a club called the [[South African Living Theatre]] (SALT) to get around the governments opposition to their multi-racial company. | ||
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Together with [[Dawn Lindberg|Dawn]] he staged [[Jeremy Taylor]]’s ''[[Back in Town]]'', and ''[[The Importance of Being Irish]]'', directed by [[Nicholas Amer]] with [[Thom Delaney]] at the [[Arena]] in 1979. ''[[Back in Town]]'' went on to play at the [[Alhambra Theatre]]. | Together with [[Dawn Lindberg|Dawn]] he staged [[Jeremy Taylor]]’s ''[[Back in Town]]'', and ''[[The Importance of Being Irish]]'', directed by [[Nicholas Amer]] with [[Thom Delaney]] at the [[Arena]] in 1979. ''[[Back in Town]]'' went on to play at the [[Alhambra Theatre]]. | ||
Revision as of 13:25, 23 May 2025
Des Lindberg (born 1941). Singer, performer, theatre entrepreneur.
Contents
Training
He obtained a B.A from Wits, also qualified in lighting and stage design, obtained a diploma in Salzburg.
Biography
Born in Johannesburg, educated at St. Johns and Wits. (BA English, Zulu, African Admin.) Diploma in Lighting & Stage Design from Salzburg. The 1960's was Folk Songs and coffee bars, and Des led the scene at the Troubadour in Doornfontein.
Des met and married Dawn Silver. They began performing together as Des and Dawn Lindberg. They collaborated on a number of projects, under the banners of Folk on Trek Productions, The Soirée Society and CAT Productions.
For further information on these projects, see the entry Des and Dawn.
For Dawn Lindberg's biographical and career information, see the individual entry under Dawn Lindberg.
An active member of the South African Association of Theatre Managements, he became its chairman in 1982, taking over from Michal Grobbelaar and remaining as chairman until SAATM disbanded. He was elected chairman of Theatre Managements of South Africa in 1994.
The couple had two sons, Joshua and Adam.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
As theatre producer
The Lindbergs produced a number of theatre productions.
For further information on these, see Des and Dawn.
As actor
Des appeared in a number of productions.
He starred in Watermelons in 1962. He performed in Godspell in 1973 and 1974.
He played the Narrator in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1980.
As writer
He scripted Lennon in 1981 which was performed at the Arena Bistro and the Baxter Theatre.
He was contracted by Taubie Kushlick, the producer, to write extra music and lyrics, for The Wizard of Oz, her Children's Theatre production, while Dawn Silver did choreography. Keith Blundell was the musical director, Nina Campbell-Quine did décor, while Heather MacDonald-Rouse did costumes. It was staged at the Wits Great Hall in 1965.
The Lindbergs joined Robert Kirby in his show 8 Birds at the Labia Theatre in 1970.
They helped convert the Carlton Cinema in Von Weilligh Street into a small theatre which opened with Birds of a Feather.
They staged Godspell, directed by Dawn at the Maseru Holiday Inn in Lesotho from 30 September 1973 to 17 February 1974. On 30 September 1974 they returned from tour to stage a run at the Lake Theatre in Parkview. Des and Dawn Lindberg staged Pippin with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and direction, choreography and design by Des starring Hal Watters, Sammy Brown, Jo-Ann Pezzarro, Bess Finney, Taliep Petersen, Sophia Foster, Robin Dolton and Andre Hattingh at His Majesty's Theatre in 1975.
The Lindbergs opened their production of the musical The Black Mikado at the Diepkloof Hall in Soweto on 13 May 1976. It went on to play in Coronationville and at the Loreto Convent in Pretoria, Pietersburg, Pietermaritzburg and Durban’s Lyric Theatre before opening at the [[Brooke Theatre}Brooke]] on 29 July.
They formed a club called the South African Living Theatre (SALT) to get around the governments opposition to their multi-racial company.
Together with Dawn he staged Jeremy Taylor’s Back in Town, and The Importance of Being Irish, directed by Nicholas Amer with Thom Delaney at the Arena in 1979. Back in Town went on to play at the Alhambra Theatre.
Together with Dawn he staged The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Victor Melleney, Judy Page and Annabel Linder under direction by Dawn at His Majesty's Theatre in 1979.
Des and Dawn produced I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road directed by Malcolm Purkey and starring Bruce Millar and Dawn at the Arena Bistro Theatre in 1980.
Des and Dawn presented Lennon with Dawn directing this tribute starring Bruce Millar, Gay Lambert, Colin Shapiro and Colin Shamley at the Arena Bistro in 1981.
The Lindbergs directed a guitar festival called Guitars from Africa at the Civic Theatre in 1981.
Together with Dawn he again directed Godspell starring Sam Marais at the Civic for PACT in May 1986.
Sources
SACD 1973; 1974; 1975/76; 1981/82.
Various entries in the NELM catalogue.
Tucker, 1997.
Schwartz, 1988, De Beer, 1995, Joyce, 1999.
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