De Wet Laubscher

De Wet Laubscher was an Afrikaans educator, playwright and editor.

Biography

Besides his plays and other writings for the theatre, he was involved in a number of compilations of tales, music and verse, for example Die Afrikaanse konsertbundel with Maxie de Villiers and R.H. Collins (1931), the Dagbreek serie nuwe Afrikaanse leesboeke with Maxie de Villiers, W.A. Joubert and S.P.E. Boshoff (1936-8) and the New Sunny South Readers with by W.A. Joubert and M.N. Ritter (1948/84??)

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

He wrote a handbook on theatre for amateurs and schools called Die Toneel : 'n Handleiding vir Amateurs en Skole, published in Cape Town by H.A.U.M. in 1962.

Many of his plays were written for children and young people, a number of them formally published, others published in 1969-71 in performance text form by the Dramatic, Artistic, and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO). Among these the more well known are:

Die Uilkoning (The king of the owls", Cape Town: H.A.U.M., 1930), Humtidello (a musical play for children, Cape Town: H.A.U.M., 1931.), Kaskenades van Jakkals ("antics of [the] jackal", a comedy for children, Cape Town: H.A.U.M., 1934),Vooraand Dingaansdag ("Eve of Dingane's Day", Cape Town: H.A.U.M. & Pretoria: De Bussy, 1936), Droomfantasie ("Dream fantasy", DALRO, 1969)and Die Haan ("The Rooster", DALRO, 1969);

He also wrote some pantomimes, among them:

Ali Baba and Aladdin (both published in Johannesburg by DALRO, 1969).

Besides his own work, he collaborated with Maxie de Villiers and others on a number of works, among which

Liefde en Plig (a play in four acts for 15 men and 2 women, and a number of figurants - written with Jan F.E. Celliers and Martie de Villiers - Cape Town: H.A.U.M., 1920-1936);

Die Sirkus/The Circus ( A bilingual children's play in Afrikaans and English- with Maxie de Villiers. Cape Town: Maskew Miller, [1936])

'n See-idille ("a sea idyll", an operetta for children - with Maxie de Villiers. Johannesburg : DALRO, 1971