Keith Grenville

Keith Grenville. (19*-) Actor, director and compére and tour guide.

Biography

Career

Worked at The Space in the 1970s, He also worked for CAPAB, NAPAC and PACT for many years.

He was Consultant Director at the Baxter Theatre and Drama director for CAAB.

Made a number of film and television appearances as well.

In the early 2000s he retired from acting and continued his very successful career as compére and tour guide in Egypt.

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

He was invited to play Leontes in The Winter's Tale at Maynardville in 1971. Since then Cape Town has been his home.

For Space: He acted in The Bear, Endgame¸ L’amante Anglaise, Lesson in Blood and Roses, Othello Slegs Blankes¸ Revenge, and 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore.

He has appeared in Home (as "Harry", 1978), *** , Jean Anouilh’s The Director of the Opera by (PACT, 1977), Entertaining Mr Sloane (1977), he played Angelo in Measure for Measure, Maynardville (1987).

Taubie Kushlick directed him and Michael McCabe in Anouilh’s The Director of the Opera for PACT in 1977. He starred in Peter Shaffer’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun, directed by Leonard Schach together with Marius Weyers, Michael McCabe, David Horner, Patrick Mynhardt and Bill Flynn. It was staged during the opening season of the Pretoria State Theatre in 1981.

King Lear, 1981, Staatsteater, Pta, Anthony James. Little Theatre, UCT.

International films include The Fourth Reich, Love Me Leave Me and That Englishwoman.

As director

He directed The Caretaker and Fallen Angels for the Space Theatre.

He directed Pieter Toerien and Shirley Firth’s last joint production namely the Baxter Theatre production of Robert Kirby’s It's a Boy! starring Dale Cutts, Bo Petersen and James Irwin at the Intimate Theatre in 1982. He directed Anyone for Denis? starring Erica Rogers and John Lesley for the Baxter at the Academy Theatre in 1983. His Not About Heroes, for Volute Productions was staged at the Baxter Theatre and Upstairs at the Market in 1986. He directed Robert Hewett’s Gulls which was staged in 1987. He directed Michael Drinn’s The Phantom of the Opera in 1990.

Directed As You Like It at Maynardville in 1999.

Awards

Received numerous awards over the years, including the Fleur du Cap Theatre Award as Best Leading Actor (1978) and Best Director (1999). 1987 Vita awards for his direction of Gulls.

Sources

SACD 1973,1974.

Tucker, 1997.

The Taming of the Shrew programme notes, 1996.

Various entries in the NELM catalogue.

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