Marie Kruger

KRUGER, Maria Susanna (néé Dorfling. 14/11/1950-) Voice and puppetry lecturer and academic. Born in the Eastern Cape, trained at the University of Stellenbosch for the Secondary Teaching Diploma in 1972, B.Dram degree in 1982, B.Dram Honours (Cum Laude) in 1983, M.Dram (Cum Laude) in 1987 and D.Phil in 1997. The masters thesis was on the principles and use of puppetry and the doctoral thesis on the nature of 20th century pantomime. Began as a school teacher and lecturer at the Paarl Teacher's Training college, joined the University of Stellenbosch Education Faculty as drama lecturer in 1979, moving to the Drama Department as junior lecturer in 1981, becoming a lecturer in 1988 and a senior lecturer in 2000. In 2006 she became an Associate professor and the Chair of the Department. In influential teacher and facilitator, whose students over the years have gone on to become prominent performers, writers and directors, puppeteers and voice artists and include names such as Amelda Brand, Maulise Kotzé, Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck, Abduragman Adams, Erik de Waal, Schalk van der Merwe and Mareli Hattingh (Pretorius). Her publications include a number of texts for schoolchildren and puppets, a popular guide for puppeteers (Puppetry, published by Delos Publishers in 1990), contributions on South African theatre for young audiences and puppetry in the Africa volume of the World Encyclopaedia of Contemprary Theatre, and a number of academic articles. As a director/creator she has directed numerous school plays, puppet shows and speech programmes (notably the highly popular So is ek gebek series) for the department and other companies. A member of the Breughel Theatre’s board of management, the management board of the Afrikaanse Woordfees and Moderator for Speech and Drama in the Western Cape school system (199*-).

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