Lerina Erasmus
Lerina Erasmus] (1947-2018). Writer and actress.
Contents
Biography
Lerina was born in South West Africa (now Namibia) on 20 August, 1946 and having attended various primary schools in South Africa, she completed high school in Windhoek, before going to the University of Pretoria to study drama, and thereafter pursuing a career in the theatre, on radio and TV, as actress and later as writer.
She lived in Johannesburg for most of her life and was married to Gunther Schmikal and has one son, Stefan.
She died in Johannesburg on 20 August 2018 at the age of 72.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Stage work
She started off as an actress, working for several of the Performing Arts Councils, where her stage work includes classic plays such as Elektra, Antigone and Medea.
For CAPAB she did Kom Spook By My, Moenie Praat Nie (1968).
For PACOFS Afrikaners is Plesierig, In Kamera, The Shoemaker's Prodigious Wife (1971), Under Milk Wood, Die Blindes (1973).
For PACT Dubbelspel met die Dood (1974).
She was also part of the cast of Stephan Bouwer's production of Mirakel (1992).
Radio, Film and TV
Her film and TV work as actress includes roles in the film Dit was aand en dit was more (Franz Marx, 1978), and such TV series as Willem, Dokter-Dokter, Drama-Drama and Orkney snork nie.
After the birth of her son, she began to focus on her writing, producing a range of radio series, such as Die Mannheim Sage, Hartjie my Liefie, Noodlotskoppelmaai, Solitaire and Vriendinne. Because of the success of Die Mannheim Sage, she was asked to rework it for TV for the 1986 Johannesburg centerary celebrations. This was followed by ''Moordspeletjies and the storylines of Glaskastele.
She has also published her scripts in novelised form (2006-2007).
Sources
1992 National Arts Festival Souvenir Programme, p. 65.
PACOFS Drama 25 Years, 1963-1988.
Die Burger and Beeld, 24 November 2016.
Mysi Louw 2018. Lerina Erasmus: 1946–2018. In memoriam. LitNet, 2018-08-24[1]
https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lerina_Erasmus.
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