Toneel

Meanings

An Afrikaans term deriving from Dutch with multiple meanings, including

(1) A "scene" in general terms (a beautiful scene, scene of the crime, etc.),

(2) A "scene" in theatrical terms ("Toneel 1" = "Scene 1"),

(3) A slightly older term for Theatre as a social and artistic activity, in the English sense. Gradually replaced by Teater from the mid-1980's.

Derivatives

Toneelbestuurder

An Afrikaans term, borrowed from Dutch, used for Stage manager. (See Binge, 1969, p. 204).

Toneel speel and Toneelspeler

Literally "to play theatre", Toneelspeel means to act in a play and a Toneelspeler is an actor/actress.

Toneelstuk

A play (lieterally "theatre piece")

Toneelmeester

A rather puzzling Afrikaans term , borrowed from Dutch, used by Ludwig Binge (Binge, 1969, p. 211)?* and others to refer to someone responsible for the general inkleding (i.e. "dressing") of the stage in a production, and states that in Amateur theatre such people were often artists or architects. Possibly what one would refer to as the Stage designer or Set designer. In some contexts it almost sounds if writers are referring to a Stage director. However it is at times uncertain whether he is not also referring to a Stage manager or at least someone who does both jobs, particularly in smaller productions.

Today Afrikaans employs a range of interrelated terms equivalent to the English - Stelontwerper (Set designer), Kostuumontwerper (Costume designer), Beligtingsontwerper (Lighting Designer) , Klankontwerper (Sound designer).

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