P.G. du Plessis

THIS ENTRY STILL NEEDS TO BE EDITED

Pieter Georg du Plessis (generally known as P.G. du Plessis) (1934-) Academic, journalist and newspaper editor, humourist, novelist and short-story writer, television personality and chat-show host, scriptwriter and film-maker, and award-winning Afrikaans playwright. Studied at the Universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand. Started as a lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, working with N.P. van Wyk Louw, then became Director of the Institute for Languages, Literature and Arts at the newly founded Human Sciences Research Council. Under his guidance the Institute established the four Documentation Centres for Art, Afrikaans Literature, Music and Theatre (the latter headed by P.P.B. Breytenbach). Hereafter he turned to journalism (editor of the Pretoria daily newspaper Oggendblad), film-production and farming.

His most important impact however has been as dramatist, for which he received the Hertzog Prize in 1971 (for Siener in die Suburbs, taking into account Die Nag van Legio). He was awarded the Hertzog Prize for Drama in 1972, especially for Siener in die Suburbs but also with the consideration of Die Nag van Legio.

Stage plays

Started his playwriting career with the profound Die Nag van Legio (1969), followed by the influential, controversial and hugely successful: Siener in die Suburbs (1971). Next came the immensely popular Mattewis en Meraai (a dramatisation of a series of stories by Mikro), then Plaston: DNS-Kind, 'n Seder val in Waterkloof and Vereeniging, Vereniging. After this he turned to prose and television, creating the enormously popular series entitled Koöperasiestories in both media. Also wrote other television texts and film scripts, which include ****. After many years he returned to the stage in 1999 with a play called **** which was produced at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees.

He wrote Siener in die Suburbs which was staged by PACT in 1971. It starred Marius Weyers and Sandra Prinsloo and was directed by Francois Swart. François Swart’s production of his 'n Seder val in Waterkloof starring Johan Malherbe, Annette Engelbrecht, Don Lamprecht, Franz Marx and Wilna Snyman was a huge success for PACT in 1975. The Academy hosted the [[Baxter Theatre production of Seer in the Suburbs, the English translation of du Plessis’ Siener in die Suburbs starring Dale Cutts, Trudie Taljaard, Bo Petersen and Marcel van Heerden in 1981. [TH]

2004 Nagkantoor, a tribute to the Afrikaans singer-composer Koos du Plessis. P.G. du Plessis wrote the script, directed by Sandra Prinsloo.

2011 Onderweg A stage version of Afrikaans singer, composer and playwright Jannie du Toit's autobiography, with text by P.G du Plessis, directed by Emma Bekker.

Sources

Tucker, 1997; Hauptfleisch, 1997; Kannemeyer, 19** ; Carstens, B.H.J. 2009.

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