Vanessa Cooke

(****-****). Actress, playwright and director.

Daughter of Roy Cooke, she began in theatre at the age of 4 when she performed on stage at His Majesty's Theatre in Johannesburg in Madame Butterfly by the Italian Opera Company.

Worked at the Arena Theatre in Hey Listen, Woyzeck and People. Worked with The Company in Mama is Terry Home for Good, Copout and Twelfth Night. Also performed in People Too, Madame de Sade, The Seagull, Marat/Sade and People are Living There. (SACD 1974) (SACD 1975/76) (SACD 1977/78)

COOKE, Vanessa. (19**-) Actress, playwright and director. Daughter of Roy Cooke. Actress for the Space Theatre in Fugard’s Dimetos. One of the founding members of The Company, she performed in the Marat/Sade, which was the official opening of the Market Theatre in 1976, as well as The Seagull which opened the Upstairs Theatre. Became a founding member and member of the board*? of the Market Theatre. **** Co-author of Cincinatti (with Barney Simon and the rest of the cast – 1979), This is for Keeps (with Danny Keogh and Janice Honeyman -1983), The Native Who Caused All the Trouble (with Fink Haysom and [[Danny Keogh] -1983), Born in the RSA (with Barney Simon and the rest of the cast – 1985),*** Besides performing in all the foregoing, major acting roles include multiple characters, including Sheherazade*?, in An Arabian Night (197*), ****, Alice in *****Alice B. Toklas (198*), **** , ***. One of the founders of the Market Theatre Company. She starred in Marcel Pagnol’s Fanny, which was staged by the Reps at the Alexander Theatre in 1967. She formed part of Mannie Manim and Barney Simon’s The Company together with Aletta Bezuidenhout, Leonie Hofmeyr, David Eppel, Judith Cornell, Janice Honeyman, Sue Kiel, Danny Keogh, Lindsay Reardon and John Oakley-Smith around 1974. She starred in Barney Simon’s production of Chekhov’s The Seagull at Upstairs at the Market in June 1976 with Erica Rogers, Sandra Prinsloo, Bill Brewer, Marius Weyers, Danny Keogh, Lindsay Reardon and Bess Finney. She starred in The Company’s presentation of Barney Simon’s revival of People are Living There with Wilson Dunster, Yvonne Bryceland and Danny Keogh at The Market Theatre in 1977. She starred in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties, directed by Malcolm Purkey, with Nicholas Ellenbogen and William Kentridge at Upstairs at the Market in 1978. She starred in Barney Simon’s production of Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life together with Marcel van Heerden, Danny Keogh, Lesley Nott, Barrie Shah, Thoko Ntshinga, Bo Petersen, Sam Williams and Robin Smith for The Company at The Market Theatre, Upstairs at the Market, the Baxter Theatre and the Brooke Theatre in 1979. Together with Robert Whitehead she starred in Janice Honeyman’s production of Romeo and Juliet at the Market Theatre in 1982. Together with Danny Keogh she starred in and wrote This is for Keeps which Janice Honeyman directed at the Laager in May 1983 before playing at Upstairs at the Market in August. She starred in Janice Honeyman’s production, Forbidden Fruits, together with Jeremy Crutchley, Mike Huff, Danny Keogh, Amanda Strydom and Annelisa Weiland at Upstairs at the Market in 1983/84. Together with the cast comprising Fiona Ramsay, Timmy Kwebulana, Gcina Mhlope, Terry Norton, Thoko Ntshinga and Neil McCarthy, and in collaboration with its director Barney Simon, she helped write Born in the RSA which opened at Upstairs at the Market in August 1985 before moving to the main theatre. She starred in Michael Frayn’s Benefactors which was directed by Rex Garner for Pieter Toerien in 1985. Starred in Bobby Heaney’s productions of Saumuel Beckett’s Catastrophe at the Wits Theatre in 1985. She starred in William M. Hoffman’s As Is which was directed by Janice Honeyman in 1986. She starred in Jerome Kilty’s Dear Love at the André Huguenet Theatre in 1988. She starred in Christopher Durang’s Laughing Wild at the Market Theatre in October 1990. She directed Jean Genet’s The Maids in 1993. (See Astbury, 1979; Schwartz, 1988; Tucker, 1997**)

Directed Meze, Mira and Make-Up written by and starring Irene Stephanou. He also directed Telegrams From Hell and The Maids for the Volkswagen Music Active Project and Julius Caesar for the Market Theatre Laboratory.

2013-14 Played "Grace" in Vigil (Morris Panych)

Sources

Programme notes of Meze, Mira and Make-Up at the Market Theatre in 1996.

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