Erik de Waal

(19**-) South African puppeteer, storyteller and performer.

Biography

Born in ***

Since 1999 he has lived in the Western Cape, but spends half the year performing for audiences of all ages in theatres, at festivals and schools around the world.

Training

Completed high school at ***. He started performing in amateur plays while at high school.

After beginning a course in Economics and finance, he switched to drama at the University of Stellenbosch, completing a B.Dram/B.A. (?*) in acting (with specializations in puppetry and cabaret) and an Honnours Degree in Educational Theatre from the same university.

Career

South African Erik de Waal lives in Cape Town, but spends most of the year performing for audiences of all ages in theatres, at festivals and schools around the world.

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

He has written, directed and performed in more than 50 professional productions in the last fifteen years and has been performing in Canada since 1999. Touring with two shows, namely his educational children's show, African Folktales with Erik de Waal (for kids aged four to 10,) and Erik de Waal's Tales from the Twilight, he travels from Montreal and Ottawa in the East to Vancouver Island in the west and Dawson City and Whitehorse in the North. The shows are in the form of storytelling theatre, and use masks, puppets and marionettes. He has also performed in South Africa, England, Ireland and Turkey, playing to more than 150 000 people on five continents.