Ellis Pearson

(19**-) Mime, clown and actor. Well known for his very athletic mimed imitations of animals. Studied drama at the Drama Department, University of Natal, Durban, later trained at the Jaques le Coq school in Paris. Worked with Nicholas Ellenbogen’s Loft Theatre Company at NAPAC and later the Theatre for Africa group, also run by Ellenbogen. Played lead roles in Horn of Sorrow (1988?**), ****, Elephant of Africa and Guardians of Eden*. Later joined Bheki Mkhwane, and the two of them have produced and toured theatre for children and youth, including A Boy Called Rubbish, Kaboom! and Amazwi Omoya (1998-9) and Skadonk (2000), nationally and internationally. Pearson also played the central figure of the silent clown in the highly regarded 1997 South African film Paljas. PEARSON, Ellis & Susan in Dundo’s Amazing Jigsaw Journey (Children’s Theatre) at Grahamstown Festival, 1984.

Nominee 1991 Pearson, Ellis in Nativity (Sunday Atar/Johannesburg Critics circle Award for best actor in a supporting role in English);

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