Isango Portobello

(Isango means “gateway” in Xhosa) A Cape Town based theatre and film production company formed and led by British producer Eric Abraham, director Mark Dornford-May and performer Pauline Malefane.

Origins

Has its roots in work done by director Mark Dornford-May when resident director at the Spier Amphitheatre near Stellenbosch, it originated from the UK-based Portobello Pictures, an independent film, television and theatre production company with its head office in London. In October 2006, the company opened an office in Cape Town and set up Isango Portobello as a production company.

Structure

The company predominantly draws performers from across the townships surrounding the city. The company’s structure embraces artists at all stages of their creative development, allowing senior artists to lead and contribute towards the growth of rising talents. At its heart are the varied musical abilities of its group of performers. The rest of the Isango Portobello creative team is made up of co-music director Mandisi Dyantyis and Lungelo Ngamlana as choreographer and associate director. The Isango Portobello

Productions

The company’s work to date has centred on re-imagining classics from the Western theatre and opera canon, finding a new context for these stories within an African or township setting, and creating new work which is relevant to the heritage of the nation.

Company won the South African Arts and Culture Trust Award for Excellence in Opera, presented in Johannesburg in 2009.

Isango Portobello and The Fugard

In 2010 The Fugard theatre opened in Cape Town, heavily soponsored by Eric Abraham, and Isango Portobello were to use it as their home base.

By the end of 2010 however, they had announced that due to a range of artistic and business differences, the company was no longer to use The Fugard as its home base.

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