Die Van Aardes van Grootoor

("The Van Aardes [lit: those of the earth]of Great Ear") by Pieter-Dirk Uys. An iconic Afrikaans play, based on the format of popular Afrikaans radio soap operas of the 1960s and satirising nationalist politics. Published by Taurus, 1979.

Performance history in South Africa

The full-length version of a one-act sketch created by Uys and performed by in 1975 as part of the anti-censorship revue Strike Up the Banned at the Space Theatre in Cape Town in 1975. The whole thing took place in a familiar Springbok Radio studio and he and Trix Pienaar enacted the recording of a serial called “Die Van Aardes van Grootoor” and involved the whole drama, snot en trane as presented by Kux toiletseep and dramatically introduced by the most famous theme music, still associated with the even more famous (and real) radio serial, Die Du Plooys van Soetmelksvlei. In 1977, Dawie Malan, Chris Galloway and Bill Curry formed the nucleus of an experimental theatre group called Fringe and performed it as a full play to a small audience at the Baxter Theatre, directed by Malan, starring Antoinette Kellermann, Mary Dreyer, Chris Galloway, Bill Curry, Lida Botha, Marthinus Basson.

It then went to The Laager at the Market Theatre and played there to acclaim for 18 months, moving to the main theatre in July 1979. Most of the Afrikaans actors took part in that season at one stage or another, including Magda Beukes, Antoinette Kellermann, Chris Galloway, Bill Curry, Marthinus Basson, Nomsa Nene, Eon de Vos, Elize Cawood, Johan Botha, Lida Botha, Allan Dysel, Rina Nienaber and Pieter-Dirk Uys himself.

Directed by James Blanckenberg for the University of Cape Town Drama Department at the UCT Arena, Hiddingh Campus in August 1984. Antoinette Butler assisted as director and the cast members were Shirley Ellis, Bernadine Strutt, Susan Dall, Jamie Bartlett, Paul Savage, Gideon de Wet, Isadora Verwey and Robert Finlayson.

Restaged in 1992 by Pieter Toerien at the Theatre on the Bay and the Leonard Rayne Theatre in a new, updated, version featuring Casper de Vries, Trix Pienaar, Lizz Meiring, Grethe Brazelle, Motshabi Tyelele, Andrew Wilson directed by Pieter-Dirk Uys.

In 2004 it was taken to various festivals in a production directed by Anthony Wilson, with a Cape Flats cast including Denise Newman, Lee-Ann van Rooi, André Samuels, Irvine van der Merwe, Nomkhita Bavuma and Lindie Stander.

In 2009 it was done at Evita se Perron in Darling as part of the ongoing Perron Drama Project, again directed by the playwright, with Jo-Anne Delport, Sari Vlotman, Ella du Plessis, Frits van Ryneveld, Omnia Grobler and Owen Britz.

New 2012 version directed by Albert Maritz featuring Marion Holm, Esther von Waltsleben, De Klerk Oelofse, Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Noxolo Bodlani, Pierre van Heerden.

Sources

Die Van Aardes van Grootoor programme notes, 1992.

KKNK programme, 29 March-6 April 2013

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