Alan Swerdlow
Alan Swerdlow (19**-). Stage, television and film actor, director, radio presenter.
Contents
Training
He studied at the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Cape Town (under Robert Mohr}.
Career
Since completing his post-graduate studies at UCT's Little Theatre, he has acted, written or directed for most of the theatrical managements in the country, among them PACT (pre-1981), Market Theatre and Pieter Toerien's company. Worked for the People's Theatre Trust.
He then became a member of that exciting and motley troupe that helped set the Market Theatre on its road to world recognition. From there to PACT, to SABC, to Pieter Toerien’s company as one of his principal directors and now offering his theatre skills to Cape Town Opera
He was a founder member of the Young Market Company and as a freelance actor has performed in a variety of roles.
In 2004 he was the Arts and Entertainment Specialist for the national radio station Safm 104-107 and crossed the floor to hard news as deputy on AM Live.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
As Actor
He has appeared on stage in productions of Macbeth (1981), Hardy Folk (at the Market Theatre), Holy Moses and All That Jazz (with Young Market), Hail Wedded Love (at the Baxter Theatre).
He starred in Giles Havergal’s Travels with my Aunt at the Leonard Rayne Theatre in August 1994.
Other productions include Jeeves Takes Charge (for Pieter Toerien); Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, Don't Drink the Water, and A Midsummer Night's Dream (CAPAB and NAPAC).
As Director
Alan is one of South Africa's most highly regarded theatre directors. Moving with equal facility from small one-man shows to dramas and large-scale musical extravaganzas. Among his many successes are shows as different as Neville's Island, the smash hit A Handful of Keys, Amadeus for the State Theatre and The King and I for PACT Opera. He directed Yasmina Reza's Life X3 for Daphne Kuhn's Theatre on the Square and Troupe Theatre Company, and the 25th Anniversary revival of The Other Side of the Swamp for Pieter Toerien Productions. Other productions that Alan has directed for Pieter Toerien include Jeeves Takes Charge (1993), The Sisters Rosensweig (1995), What a Carry On!, HRH, The Book Club, the acclaimed Amy's View, The Mystery of Irma Vep, and Maybe Baby, It's You.
He assisted the director for a NAPAC production of Musical Trilogy.director (NAPAC).
He directed Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Being Alive, Open a New Window, Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story, Honour (2004) and two gala extravaganzas for Artists Against Aids.
As Writer and translator
Alan wrote the play Four Stops on the Northern Line and wrote the script of the musical Streets of Gold.
He translated Joshua Sobol’s Ghetto which was staged by PACT and Moira Blumenthal in 1991.
Awards, etc
In his final year at UCT he was nominated for the Three Leaf Award as the most promising student.
Sources
A Handful of Keys programme notes, 1995.
Honour programme notes in 2004.
Tucker, 1997.
SACD 1980/81.
City Press, 20 March 2011.
Theatre programmes of various productions held by NELM.
Theatre Lives [1].
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