Maridi Jooste

Maridi Jooste (1984-) is a playwright, filmmaker, drama teacher and life coach.

Biography

Born Dina Maria Jooste on 9 February 1984 in Upington, she spent the early part of her life on a grape farm near the Orange River.

She studied at the University of Stellenbosch, completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Drama and Theatre Studies and a BA Hons degree in Creative Writing (2003-2005). She then became a part time drama teacher at Jamestown School, while taking a BA Hons Degree in Psychology (2008-2010) followed by a Master’s Degree (with a thesis on thesis on Intimate Relationships in Low Income Societies from a Feministic Perspective, 2016-2017). She also has a number of certificates in the field of life coaching.

After completing her initial psychology studies, she worked as a freelance filmmaker and TV insert director for 4 years (2012-2015) before establishing herself as a self-development coach in various capacities.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Besides teaching drama to pupils at Jamestown School, she has also written some plays and has used her drama training and creative writing skills as part of her life coaching.This included writing and directing a number of plays on various themes ranging including psychological problems, existential issues and matters of self-empowerment.

Among these have been works written as part of the creative writing course in the Drama Department, including Hoe Hy vir Haar Man Gelieg Het (an Afrikaans translation of George Bernard Shaw's How He Lied to Her Husband), and Kittie (a one act play).

Her film and video work includes roles in

The Last Bullet (2011), Arno Carstens: Battlescars Galactica (2013), Somewhere in Africa (2013), Late on Time (2014), Die Windpomp (2014), Die Wasgoedlyn (2014), Sophia Grace & Rosie's Royal Adventure(2014), In the Rough (2015), Strikdas (2015),