Peter Krummeck

Peter Alan Krummeck (1947-2013) [1] was a South African actor, theatre designer, director, writer, teacher, and activist.

Biography

Peter was born on 4 March 1947 in Johannesburg and died at St. Luke's Hospice in Kenilworth, Cape Town on Saturday, November 9th 2013 after a struggle with cancer, survived by his sisters, Anne and Judith, his niece, Yvette, and his nephew, Neville.

After training as a commercial artist in East London, South Africa, he spent four years at the UCT Little Theatre as an ad-hoc student and then joined CAPAB as actor/designer, going free-lance two years later. One of his first projects was to build the model of the Baxter Theatre for the architects and he went on to become the only artist who has been involved in one way or another with every Baxter Season since their inception.

He was a delegate to Westag and to the Danish/South African Conference in Copenhagen.

Community work

Peter worked as a lay-minister for the Anglican Church under the mentorship of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the mid-1980s, and wrote a guide to human gender relationships for the multi-church Parish of St John in Wynberg. Founded the African Community Theatre Service (ACTS), with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as patron, to undertake work in reconciliation.

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

Peter has been involved in every aspect of theatre from song-writing to running his own company.,

Roles as actor

Stage

He began his professional career at the age of sixteen with the PACOFS production of The Merchant of Venice (1964).

He subsequently acted in The Crucible (1970), The Playboy of the Western World (as “Michael James” 1976), Roulette (CAPAB 1977), the pantomime Aladdin (Cape Flavour) directed by Maralin Vanrenen at the Baxter Theatre, 1984, Pieter Toerien's Isn't It Romantic in 1985, Panorama (Pieter-Dirk Uys, 1988), The Elephant Man wherein he played the role of Ross in 1998, Cardenio (Maynardville January 2013).

Other major stage credits include the title role in P.G. du Plessis's Plaston: DNS-Kind Smithy Smith in Send for Dolly, Sam in his own translation of Siener in die Suburbs for the Baxter and Jesus Christ in The Passion (his own adaptation of the Gospels for the Baxter), A Flea in her Ear, ACTS's production of A Sleep of Prisoners which he directed and played in, The Winter's Tale (CAPAB), Boy2Man (Tony) dir. Peter Krummeck, Krummeck as Coward (Noel) directed by Peter Krummeck, 17 characters in Red George, directed by Denise Newman, the lead in Bonhoeffer directed by Christopher Weare, Christ in The Passion, Roder in Taking Sides.

Film and TV

Films: Long Walk to Freedom, The Girl Dop, Master Harold and the Boys, Starship Troopers, The Ring, Borderline, Citizen Verdict, Pavement, The Piano Player, Family Dog', The Emissary, Heart of Africa, That Englishwoman, Candid Camera, Dada and the Flower.

Television: He played the lead in Gray Hofmeyr's The Earthmover and a major lead in the Afrikaans series Witgoud for SABC TV; amongst other TV plays to be screened are Die Losprys and Die Seeduiker.' Hidden City (SATV) and Winning. Oupa and Ouma 2, Labyrinth, History of America, Great Britain Our Story, Final Verdict II, Strike Back I, Bonhoeffer, Twelfth Night, Witgoud, Die Seeduiker, Die Losprys, Arende I, Hidden City, This Life.

Cameo Appearances: Shooting Stars, Backstage, Charlie Jade, Khululeka, Madam & Eve, Scoop Schoombie.

As director

He directed the world premiere of Adam Small's Kanna Is Coming Home in 1985 for the Baxter Theatre and Murder in the Cathedral with John Carson as Becket, Boy2Man, Krummeck as Coward, The Passion and A Sleep of Prisoners.

As designer

He did the costumes for Three Cheers for President Charlie (The Space, 1972).

Designed Tramway Road (1985), The Norman Conquests, Mr Rhodes and the Princess (CAPAB).

He built the architect's model of the Baxter Theatre.

As playwright

Scripted Ntsikana, wrote Indaba (NAF 1979, directed by Esther van Ryswyk), The Oracle (playscript held by NELM), Marlene, a memoir, 1901-2001 (playscript held by NELM), Simple Boy Simon, The Evening of Our Time, Die Verligtes, of Vrekbosvlakte.

His plays Bonhoeffer and iVirgin Boy toured overseas to critical acclaim. The latter, a play in fourteen scenes (NELM), has as its central character a boy traumatised by male rape. During follow-up counselling, he explores his bisexual nature.

He unveiled his work, Red George, at Theatre in The District in Woodstock from August 29 until Saturday, September 9, 2007.

His one-man play Bonhoeffer, which toured South Africa and North America, commemorated the 1st anniversary of 9/11 in Washington DC.

Among his other writings are the musical Scathkadie the Sorceress and his translation of PG du Plessis' Seer in the Suburbs. His play Indaba was first to feature scholars of mixed race. His company, ACTS, pioneered the reconciliation-through-drama process, presenting such work as the Xhosa epic Ntsikana. But it was The Passion that captured national interest: it played 10 seasons to high praise.

His 1995 teledrama Dear and Awkward Courage directed by Tamara Semevsky, was the first work openly to address the gay issue on South African television. A 40-part series, Red George, based on his great-grandfather's diaries, was broadcast on SAFM.

Krummeck regarded The Passion, Lodestar and Bonhoeffer as career highlights.

He also wrote two novellas, Adam and Luke, published by Junkets Publishers 2012.