ESAT Personalities F
FELDMAN, Hazel. (19**-) Theatre impresario and publicist. ** She did publicity for the PACT production of the musical Chicago which was staged in January 1977 at the Alexander. Direction and choreography were done by Geoffrey Sutherland and it starred Annabel Linder and Judy Page.
FELDMAN, Peter (19**-) Theatre and film critic??**
FELDSMAN George. (19*-) Teacher and director(?*) Born in ** Headmaster at a little school in Chapel St. With Rosalie van der Gucht he did children’s theatre and offered drama teaching which was directly related to the syllabus & linked all the other arts.
FELLOWS-SMITH, Liz. (19*-) Stage manager. * Worked at The Space in the 1970s, i.a. on Candaules Commissioner and Dolls (directed by Richard Grant and Michael O’Brien), ***
FENN, Jane. (19**-) Actress. * Played in Leonard Schach’s N.T.O. production of The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll(1958). She continued working with Schach, becoming a member of his Cockpit Players and playing in Separate Tables(1958), Try for White(1959) and The Birthday Party(1962) in which she played the role of Meg. For the Johannesburg REPS starred in Ricky Arden’s production of Neil Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn (1962), ** FENN, Jane, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (Australian comedy-drama)by Ray Lawler, presented by NTO, Marjorie Gordon, Edward Ogden & Bill Brewer. Frank Graves (décor), 1958. Later changes: Fiona Fraser, Joan Blake, Elspeth Bryce, Nigel Hawthorne, Eveline Garratt, Robert Cheetham, Doreen Graves (Costumes).
FENN, Jean. (19*-) American musical star and actress. * Based in Seattle, she was brought out in 1975 to star in Anthony Farmer’s PACT production of The Great Waltz, and was again brought over for David Matheson’s production of it at the State Theatre in the Christmas season of 1986/1987.
FENTON, Amy. Italian trained operatic soprano and actress. Sister of Blanche Fenton and a member of Luscombe Searelle’s first company to come to South Africa in 1887. D.C. Boonzaier apparently half in love with her. She married and settled in South Africa after Searelle left in 1898. (Fletcher, 1994)
FENTON, Blanche. (18**-) Italian trained operatic contralto and actress. Luscombe Searelle’s wife, and an extremely popular member of his company. (Fletcher, 1994)
FENTON, Norman. (19*-) Playwright. Together with John Blair he created The Biko Inquest which Saira Essa directed at the Laager in 1985.
FENTON, Ron. (19**-) Actor. ** Roles in The Slab Boys, Three Thoroughly Offensive Plays for Mother Grundies and In Two Minds (all three at The Space in the 1970s), **
FERGUSON, Gus. (19**-) Poet, journalist, publisher and actor. *** As an actor had roles in Mollusc Mania (The Space, 197*), **
FERGUSON, Ian. (19*-) Academic, playwright and critic. * Studied English literature at the University of Stellenbosch and University of South Africa, taught English at the University of South Africa from 19** to 19**. Wrote criticism and articles on South African theatre and supervised a number of theses on the subject. One of the founders of the short-lived journal ***, later a board member of the South African Theatre Journal. ** His writing includes Falstaff, which was staged by PACT at the Alexander in 1976. In 19* he moved to Canada. Long-time partner of Robert Mohr.
FERGUSON, Jennifer. (1961??-) Actress, singer, songwriter and politician. Born in Ermelo, went to school in Johannesburg and studied journalism for a while at Rhodes, then on to the University of the Witwatersrand, before dropping out and doing a degree in Drama at the University of Cape Town. Most of her performance work is in cabaret and musical concerts, starting with gigs at places like No 58, Hillbrow, though she has performed at the Market Theatre, notably in Women of Africa (19**). She became an ANC member of parliament in 1994, but later resigned to join her husband in Sweden.Returns to South Africa regularly to perform. ??? FERGUSON, Jennifer, Alladin: Pantomime, (Cape Flavour)Dir: Maralin Vanrenen: Dale Cutts, Charles Comyn, Adrienne Pearce, Peter Crummeck & Jennifer Ferguson, Peter Butler, Mike Chase, Baxter, 1984. Marilyn Taylors’ musical band.
FERNALD, John. British director and head of RADA, who visited South Africa with his wife Jenny Laird, to direct Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard for the Johannesburg REPS in 1963. Toerien-Firth got him to direct Hildegard Neil in a revival of Private Lives, at the Intimate in 1974. (Tucker, 1997)
FERRIERA/FERREIRA?*, Antonius or Tonius. (19**-) Actor. ** Was a regular member of the Hendrik Hanekom Geselskap in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Then joined the André Huguenet company, notably as Absolom in Absolom my Seun in 1942, Geleende Vere in 19*, **. ***
FERREIRA, Nerina. (19*-**?) Radio, film and stage actress and translator. **** As an actress she worked for NTO and CAPAB and also ditd radio work for the SABC (RSG). Her acting career also included films like Troudag vir Tant Ralie (1975), * Knowing a number of foreign languages, she has translated numerous works over the years. Her delightful and highly accomplished translations of play texts over the years have been instrumental in building up a strong Afrikaans canon of theatre texts and performances. Among her best known translations are ***, Amadeus (SABC, ***), **, Die Tou (ArtsCape, 1992), Begeerte (Eugene O’Neill’s Desire under the Elms, Baxter Theatre and KKNK 2006), ** In 1992 she received the Fleur du Cap Lifetime Award for her contribution to the industry.
FERRUS Diane. (19*-) Actress and storyteller. ** Worked for Group 44, performing in Elke Ou Storie by Peter Snyders and Group 44, at The Space (197*), ** In 2005 participated in The Baxter Storytelling Festival at The Baxter Theatre Centre (in association with Sibikwa Community Theatre Project). *
FERUGIA, Lena. ((19*-) Actress, model, TV personality. She starred in Aubrey Berg’s production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof together with Ron Smerczak and Victor Winding for PACT in 1982. This play opened at the State Theatre before moving to the Alexander. She starred in Pieter Toerien’s production of Agnes of God together with Pauline Bailey and Fiona Ramsay which was directed by Nikolas Simmonds at the Baxter and the Alhambra in 1983. She starred in Mastrosimone’s Extremities together with Michael Richard with direction by Hugh Wooldridge for Pieter Toerien in 1984. She wrote and starred in We and Them at the Leonard Rayne in 1989. **
FESTENSTEIN, Sadie. (19*-) Actress. * Played in Agatha Christie’s Witness for th Fefer, Zwi
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