ESAT Personalities D

DU TOIT, G.P. (18**-19*) Translator, adaptor, actor and director**** Brother of D.P. du Toit. In 1898 he translated, adapted and produced the popular English farce Turn Him Out by T.J. Williams as part of an "entertainment" at the Hugenote Gedenkschool in Paarl in 1898. He named his version Een Misverstand and Binge (1969) maintains this is the first programme he could find of an performance in Afrikaans, though the programme listed it as a "Dutch Play". (The author later assured him it had been in Afrikaans.) Other translations include Siende Blind (tr under the pseudonym "Charon" of Love is Blind?* by ***). He also performed various other acts, including a dialogue (An Intrusion) and sang two Afrikaans comic songs. In the same year he apparently also translated a number of children's plays from the English collection Plays for Children by Annie L. Walker. (Routledge, 1893).Among his Afrikaans titles are Wie Laaste Lag, Lag die Lekkerste ("He laughs best who laughs last"), Siende Blind ("Seeing Blind") and Die Towerspieël ("The Magic Mirror"). He later directed these (and some Dutch plays taken from Thieme Publishers' Toneel-Bibliotheek - i.e "Drama Library") with children, as well as some plays with adults, including an early piece by J.C. Langenhoven in Philadelphia in 1911.

DU TOIT, Jan. (19*?) First managing director of CAPAB and Director of the Nico Malan Theatre.*?? After his retirement, he was instrumental in establishing APA (the Association for Performing Arts) in 1987. (Gosher, 1988)

DU TOIT, Jac. See P.J. du Toit.

DU TOIT, J.D. (Totius) (1877-1953) Son of S.J. du Toit. Theologian, celebrated lyric poet (under the pseudonym Totius) and campaigner for the language rights of Afrikaans. As a student he initially did translations, wrote short stories and - according to Ludwig Binge (1969), even some plays. While at school he wrote a short piece called Di Twé Susters under his early pseudonym Jaduto. ** In the 1920s he apparently advised Hendrik Hanekom against going on tour as a professional, considering it a desecration of the Afrikaans culture to perform for money. (Hanekom had written to ask “Totius” for a play).

DU TOIT, Joan. DU TOIT, Louise. (19*-19*) Actress. * Joined the Paul de Groot Toneelgeselskap in May 1928 for the tour of Haar Twede Man (Géraldy), replacing Rena la Roche. *

DU TOIT, M.L. Academic, cultural historian and a staunch supporter of theatre. Originally a lecturer in German, he became the first Professor in Afrikaanse Kultuur (Afrikaans Culture) at the Transvaal University College (later University of Pretoria). A co-founder of Ons Teatertjie in Pretoria in 19*. *

DU TOIT, Paul. (19*-) Actor. ** Played Lennox in the 1950 Afrikaans Macbeth (NTO), *

DU TOIT, Paul. (197*-) Actor. Born and raised in Somerset West, to a theatrical family (his mother wrote and produced musicals), he started as a child actor in local productions. Studied drama at the University of Stellenbosch, before moving into the professional field, working for Pieter Toerien Productions as well as other independent companies. Productions include ***, The Parrot Woman (Charles J. Fourie, 199*), * Auditioning Angels (Pieter-Dirk Uys, 2003). Also, collaborating with Anton Luitingh, performed in a range of revues, including ** Not**

DU TOIT, P.J. ("Piet" or "Jac"). (19*-) Actor and director. First professional appearance as an actor was in 1931(?*), when he appeared under the stage name Jac. Du Toit in Die Silwer Koning by the Hanekom-Van Zyl-Geselskap. Acted for Leonie Pienaar in Die Veroweraar (Simons-Mees) and Sakke vol geld (Evans and Valentine) in the early 1930s. Went on to become very active in the formation of Ons Teatertjie (later the Volksteater) in Pretoria in 1935 and a fine actor for them. Appeared i.a. in Rooibruin Blare (Fagan, 1936), Liefdesvuur (Südermann, 194?*), Maria Stuart (Schiller, 1941), Monna Vanna (Maeterlink, 1942), *. As director did *, and in 1947 directed ** for Volksteater, winning the Breytenbach-shield in the FATSSA competition. * (See Binge, 1969; Du Toit, 1988) [JH/TH]

DU TOIT. P.J. (“Peet”). (194*-)Academic, lecturer in Afrikaans literature at the Pretoria Teacher’s Training College, critic, editor and co-editor of a number Afrikaans play collections for use in schools, amateur actor and director. A member of the Krugersdorp Municipal Society for Drama and Opera, * Author of the first definitive book on amateur theatre in South Africa (Amateurtoneel in Suid-Afrika), his doctoral thesis at the University of Pretoria (198*). Has also written handbooks on text analysis and compiled and co-edited a number of collections of plays and other materials for schools and teacher’s training colleges. Books include Amateurtoneel in Suid-Afrika. Pretoria: Academica (Human & Rousseau), 1988; * Plays include ***

DU TOIT, S.J. (1847-1911) Poet, dramatist, novelist, historian and writer of polemical prose. Born in Paarl, he was the brother of D.F. du Toit, he studied in Holland to become an Afrikaans “Dominee” (Dutch Reformed minister) in Paarl. A co-founder of Die Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners (1875) and Di Afrikanerbond (1879), he was the editor of a number of journals, including Di Patriot ('The Patriot") and Ons Klyntji ("Our Little One"). At one time he was Superintendent of Education for the colony. Wrote the first full-length and published play in Afrikaans: Magrita Prinslo of Liifde Getrou tot in di Dood in 1897 during the language congress. It was performed in the Paarl Town Hall in January 1897 and published by ** in 18**.

DU TOIT, Wikus

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