Mario Schiess
Mario Schiess (1933-1998) was quantity surveyor, playwright, translator, theatre and film director and producer.
Contents
Biography
Born and raised in Switzerland, he emigrated to South Africa to become a quantity surveyor in Pretoria. Swiss born
Mario Schiess (1933-1998) was ‘n immigrant uit Switserland wat hom as bourekenaar in Pretoria gevestig het. Hy was ‘n Jungiaan, teater- en rolprentregisseur, dramaturg en vertaler.
Onder sy beroemdste produksies tel Kafka se Report to an Academy met Marius Weyers as die aap en Esther Vilar se Pous Johanna II met Jana Cilliers in die titelrol. Schiess se uitgangspunt was: “ ‘n Diepe kennis van Jung se bykans holistiese persoonlikheids-analises, laat my fokus op die presiese rol wat die akteur moet speel. Daar moet ‘n eenheid ontstaan tussen die teks soos hy geskryf is en die persoonlikheid van die akteur wat dit lewend moet maak,” was Schiess se uitgangspunt. (Hierdie is ‘n kort fragment uit ‘n ongepubliseerde onderhoud wat hierdie skrywer met Schiess in 1989 gevoer het).
Training
Career
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
He worked in South African theatre and film from the early 1970's. He had a strong interest in Jung, and used the psychologist's theories as the basis of his work with actors.
His most memorable achievement was perhaps his translation (from German), adaptation and direction of Marius Weyers in Kafka's Report to an Academy which played at The Laager in 1979.
He directed Pous Johanna II (Vilar), Miracle Man, Woman Alone, The Colossus of Brooklyn, Appassionata, My Son, My Son, The Glass Menagerie (1971).
He directed an Afrikaans translation of Equus Upstairs at the Market in 1978.
He wrote at least ten plays, among others Nemesis, Iscariot, The Chosen, Charade, Easter Bells, a play for two, The Revenge, Encounters at Midnight.
Mario Schiess also directed some South African feature films, including: Die Vervlakste Tweeling (1969), with Marius Weyers, Jana Cilliers, Bill Brewer and others; Onwettige Huwelik (1970), with Marius Weyers, Pieter Geldenhuys, Enone van den Bergh and others; Bait (1974), with Marius Weyers, Richard Loring, Diane Ridler and others;
[TH, JH]
Sources
See Gosher, 1988
National Arts Festival programme, 1990.
Correspondence with Michèle Schiess, his daughter. (2 June, 2018)
Commentary by Paul Boekkooi, cited in a draft article on Reza de Wet (2018), based on an unpublished interview with Schiess, which he had done in 1989.
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