Neels Hansen

(1936-2014) Designer and Director for theatre and opera.

Biography

Born on 16 April 1936 and went to school in Heidelberg in the Transvaal. He then studied at the University of Pretoria and the Pretoria Teachers Training College, with a view to becoming a teacher. However, at the age of 24 his instrests shifted and he began work at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre.

He died of cancer in November 2014 at the age of 78.

Contribution to South African theatre and performance

He did costumes for Kismet, the first PACT musical to be staged. It was directed by Anthony Farmer who also designed the sets and Lawrence Folley, Gé Korsten, Barbara Veenemans, Kerry Jordan and Iris Chapple starred in this musical at the Civic Theatre in late 1973. He staged a new production of it in 1980. He did the costume design for Sun City’s opening theatre production. It was designed and directed by Anthony Farmer with choreography by Nick Navarro, and Adolpho Waitzman leading the musical team. It opened on the 15 December 1979. He directed the PACT production of The Merry Widow starring Roberta Palmer and Gé Korsten at the Pretoria State Theatre in December 1983. He became a director of opera and musicals.

Among the many operas he staged, directed and/or designed for over the years were Britten's Peter Grimes and Death in Venice; Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor, Maria Stuarda, I puritani; Gounod's Faust; Leoncavallo se I pagliacci; Mascagni se Cavalleria rusticana; Offenbach se Les contes d’Hoffmann; Puccini se La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Tosca en Turandot; Rossini se Il barbiere di Siviglia; Richard Strauss se Der Rosenkavalier; Verdi se Aïda, Attila, Don Carlo, Nabucco, Otello, Rigoletto, La traviata en Un ballo in maschera. Handen was ook verantwoordelik vir produksies in die buiteland, soos Donizetti se L’elisir d’amore vir die Koninklike Opera van Teheran.

In 1999 he and the soprano Mimi Coertse founded the Black Tie Ensemble as means to help preserve the traditions of opera performance in South Africa and to create a pathway for gifted, aspiring young singers to become opera performers. This later evolved into what is now known as the Gauteng Opera. Hansen remained a patron of this till his death in 2014.