Geoffrey Sutherland

Geoffrey Sutherland (1941-1992) was a lecturer, dancer, director and choreographer.

Biography

Born in Britain, he trained in movement at the famous Laban School, where he later lectured in Dance and Drama at the Laban Studio in Surrey. He first came to South Africa in July of 1967 to lecture in movement at the Speech and Drama Department of the University of Natal in Durban.

One of his first major theatrical productions in Durban was a remarkable open-air production in Mitchell Park of the danced Nativity, Navidad Nuestra, which he not only conceived, produced and choreographed, but also designed and danced in.

He first worked for NAPAC in 1971 when he directed a new stage adaptation of the delightful A. A. Milne stories about ‘’Winnie-the-Pooh’’, to be followed over the years by a range of other productionns.

He later moved to Johannesburg where he formed his own dance group, Kinetika, mounting the musical Man of La Mancha, choreographed ‘’The Canterbury Tales’’ and lectured in the Drama Department of the University of the Witwatersrand.

It was at this time that he first began working with the Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal, choreographing dance sequences for opera productions, later becoming a resident producer and choreographer for PACT and creating ballets and directing a number of major productions for the organisation. His major breakthrough for them came with the spectacular success of ‘’Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’’.

In 1986 NAPAC created a Musical Theatre Department and they appointed Sutherland as head, a position in which he would go on to do a series of remarkable productions.

He was married to choreographer Kenlynn Ashby and the couple had two daughters, Lisa Mary Sutherland and Natasha Kate Sutherland.

Sadly Sutherland died of pneumonia in 1992 aged 51.

Contribution to South African theatre and performance

As director/choreographer

Sutherland directed and choreographed a number of productions, including:

1967: Man of La Mancha (director and choreographer, JODS)

1968: Navidad Nuestra (director, choreographer and designer, Durban Catholic Players Guild)

1970: Canterbury Tales (choreographer, JODS)

1971: Applause (choreographer, JODS; choreography was taken over by Wendy de la Harpe after dissatisfaction from the director).

1971: Winnie-the-Pooh (director, NAPAC)

1972: The Marvellous Story of Puss in Boots (director, NAPAC)

pre-1974: Manners and Morals (director)

1974: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (choreographer, PACT)

1975/1976: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (director and choreographer, PACT)

1977: Chicago (director and choreographer, PACT)

1979: The Archon (director, PACT)

1979/1980: Christian! (director and choreographer, NAPAC & Brickhill/Burke)

1980: Oh! What a Lovely War (director, PACT)

1984: Snoopy!!! (director, NAPAC & CT Productions)

1985: Peer Gynt (director, NAPAC)

1986: Christian! (director and choreographer, NAPAC)

1986: The Pirates of Penzance (director, NAPAC & PACT)

1987: The Great Waltz (choreographer, Performing Arts Councils)

1988/1989: Singin’ in the Rain (director and choreographer, Performing Arts Councils)

1989: Sweeney Todd (director, NAPAC & CAPAB)

1990: Romance, Romance (director)

1990: Queen at the Opera (director and choreographer, NAPAC)

1991: Jesus Christ Superstar (director, NAPAC)

1991: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (director and choreographer, Performing Arts Councils)

Sources

Teater SA, 1(3), 1968.

Tucker, 1997.

Robert N. Cross. 1992. "Obituary" in Natalia No 22 (1992) (pp.71-71)[1]

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