Leonie Pienaar

( Leoni?*). (19**-) (Mrs L. le Roux). Bilingual actress, director and voice teacher.

Biography

Career

She started her career in Cape Town as a student at the South African College of Music. She then went to Worcester where she directed three-monthly English productions for the Worcester Social and Dramatic Club. In 1933 she moved to Pretoria, where she did a number of productions with her own company, acting and directing, many rehearsals taking place in a house owned by Nunez Holzhausen (corner of Beatrix and Pretorius streets). In 1935 she became one of the co-founders of Ons Teatertjie ("Our Little Theatre" - later renamed Volksteater), doing a great deal of work for them as director and actress. In 1937 she married ** and moved back to Cape Town, to later directing students in the Little Theatre for UCT and productions for K.A.T.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Started her career in Cape Town as a student at the South African College of Music. She then went to Worcester where she directed three-monthly English productions for the Worcester Social and Dramatic Club (including A Bill of Divorcement, Tons of Money, I'll Leave it to You and The Patsy.) For the local Afrikaans cultural society, the Worcesterse Kultuurvereniging, she did Die Drie van der Walts in 1934. In 1933 she moved to Pretoria, where she did a number of productions with her own company, acting and directing, many rehearsals taking place in a house owned by Nunez Holzhausen (corner of Beatrix and Pretorius streets). Productions included Die Veroweraar (Simons-Mees), Sakke vol geld (Evans and Valentine), **. In 1935 she became one of the co-founders of Ons Teatertjie ("Our Little Theatre" - later renamed Volksteater), doing a great deal of work for them as director and actress. Plays include Ibsen's Boumeester Solness (1935), J.F.W. Grosskopf's Die Peswolk and In die wagkamer (1936), H.A. Fagan's Ousus (1936), ***. In 1937 she married ** and moved back to Cape Town, to later directing students in the Little Theatre for UCT and productions for K.A.T.

Sources

See Binge, 1969; Du Toit, 1988 [TH; JH]

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