Difference between revisions of "Nicholas Ellenbogen"
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
===As performer=== | ===As performer=== | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | He | + | He was an active [[formal actor]] in the 1970s and early 1980s, appearing in works such as ''[[Pygmalion]]'' ([[CAPAB]] 1975), ''[[The Playboy of the Western World]]'' ([[CAPAB]], 1976), Tom Stoppard’s ''[[Travesties]]'' (1978), ''[[A Murder is Announced]]'' (1978), Michael Frayn’s ''[[Clouds]]'' (1979), ''[[The Unvarnished Truth]]'' (1979), ''[[Jumpers]]'' (1980), ''[[Jimmy Righteous]]'' (1981), ''[[Zeyda, or A Pedlar's Progress]]'' (1981), ''[[Precious Remnants]]'' (1983). |
| − | He returned to acting with a role in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' ([[Maynardville]], in 2006. | + | He gradually also developed a knack for improvisational [[theatre-making]], inter alia helping to devise and perform ''[[A Touch of 1900s]]'' ([[Space Theatre|The Space]] ,197*) and ''[[An Arabian Night]]'' ([[Market Theatre]] 197*), before founding and beginning his renowned work with the [[Loft Theatre Company]] (1985) and Theatre for Africa (1989). |
| + | |||
| + | As actor he appeared in many of the works, and most notably performed leading roles in most of his ''[[Raiders]]'' plays (see below). | ||
| + | |||
| + | He returned to [[formal acting]] with a role in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' ([[Maynardville]], in 2006. | ||
=== As director=== | === As director=== | ||
Revision as of 08:18, 7 October 2022
Nicholas Ellenbogen (19**-) is an actor, director, manager, author and playwright.
Contents
Biography
He was born in Zimbabwe,
He is married to Elizabeth Ellenbogen (often referred to as Liz Ellenbogen), an actress and teacher. They have three children, including theatre-maker Luke Ellenbogen.
Training
He studied at the University of Cape Town Drama Department.
Career
He joined NAPAC, where he founded the Loft Theatre Company in 1985 and began exploring the specific style of improvisatory and mimetic theatre with Ellis Pearson, Brendan Grealy and others. In 1989 he founded Theatre for Africa, to use improvisational and mimetic principles in a theatre aimed at eco-issues. They travelled extensively with productions focused on conservation, inter alia giving private performances for the British Royal Family in Balmoral Castle and for the US State Department.
In 19* he moved to Cape Town to open a series of theatre venues. He first set up a tiny bucket-seat theatre at the Olympia Café in Cape Town, followed by the Kalk Bay Theatre, which he created by transforming an old church building into a two-level restaurant and performance venue. His third venture was to convert the old Muizenberg post office near Cape Town into an 84-seat amphitheatre which he called the Post Box Theatre. The most recent is The Rosebank in Cape Town, opened in 2013 and funded by his life-long friend, Alexander McCall- Smith.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
One of the leading exponents of the improvisational method in South Africa, Ellenbogen has over the years developed a specific style of improvisatory and mimetic theatre and became a driving figure behind the establishment of the Fringe at the Grahamstown Festival.
His environmental work with plays such as Elephant of Africa, Horn of Sorrow and Guardians of Eden has had a particularly significant impact on the international regulation of the ivory trade.
In addition to this, he has simultaneously managed to capitalize on the popular success of his entertaining physical style of satiric comedy, particularly in the series of Raiders plays, which he performed at the Grahamstown Festival for a record breaking 30 years and more.
As performer
He was an active formal actor in the 1970s and early 1980s, appearing in works such as Pygmalion (CAPAB 1975), The Playboy of the Western World (CAPAB, 1976), Tom Stoppard’s Travesties (1978), A Murder is Announced (1978), Michael Frayn’s Clouds (1979), The Unvarnished Truth (1979), Jumpers (1980), Jimmy Righteous (1981), Zeyda, or A Pedlar's Progress (1981), Precious Remnants (1983).
He gradually also developed a knack for improvisational theatre-making, inter alia helping to devise and perform A Touch of 1900s (The Space ,197*) and An Arabian Night (Market Theatre 197*), before founding and beginning his renowned work with the Loft Theatre Company (1985) and Theatre for Africa (1989).
As actor he appeared in many of the works, and most notably performed leading roles in most of his Raiders plays (see below).
He returned to formal acting with a role in Twelfth Night (Maynardville, in 2006.
As director
He directed Aggie's Pitch (NAPAC 1986), The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1988), Richard III (1988) and Cinderella for Theatre for Africa at the Wits University Theatre in 1991.
As playwright
The influential plays written/developed by Nicholas Ellenbogen and Theatre for Africa were collated and published in four volumes by Theatre for Africa. Called The Complete Works of Nicholas Ellenbogen and Theatre for Africa, the volumes include:
Volume One: Elephant of Africa, [[]], [[]], [[]], [[]], [[]]
Volume Two: Bird, Eagle, Horn of Sorrow, Gifts, Hippo and Kwamanzi.
Volume Three: The Manne, Live with Ivy, Growing up in Gravelotte, Nick goes Native, Duets and Ghosts of the Castle.
Volume Four: A Nativity (also known simply as Nativity), Cinderella, Raiders of the Lost Aardvark, Not the Raiders, but The Temple of Boom, Raiders of the Lost Count, Raiders of the Broken Heart and Raiders of the Freudian Slip.
His other plays include:
He wrote and acted in Precious Remnants directed by Jon Maytham in July 1983. His pantomime A Nativity was staged at the Market Theatre in 1990. His Theatre for Africa presented Raiders of the Lost Aardvark at the Wits University Theatre in 1991.
His Nick goes Native was staged at the Amphitheatre in 1992. His Theatre for Africa presented Kwamanzi and Elephant of Africa at the Wits Theatre in 1992.
At the National Arts Festival 1997, Spirit of the Lake a musical created with Scottish director Toby Gough.
ELLENBOGEN, Nicholas, Patrick Mofkeng & Godfrey Johnson in Raiders, lord of the dings. Olympia Bakery, Kalk Bay. (2003) The Diaries of Diesel du Toit by Nicholas Ellenbogen. Also Nhlanhla Mavundla & Liz Szymczak. Olympia, Kalkbaai.
Other writing
In 2022 Footprint Press published Ellenbogen's first novel, A Vet, Three Mares and a hound called Max (Footprint Press), the story of the harrowing journey and dramatic relocation of pure-bred Arab mares from war-torn Poland to a safe haven, in what was then Rhodesia. The story describes the experiences of the vet who leads the operation and his bush encounters while training the horses and their offspring for their eventual return to participate in events in Europe.
Awards, etc
1991: His A Nativity nominated for the Dawie Malan Award for best South African Play
2006: Fleur du Cap Award for best supporting actor, Twelfth Night at Maynardville.
2014: Honoured with the Fleur de Cap Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sources
SACD 1977/78; 1978/79; 1979/80.
"Nicholas Ellenbogen" In: IMDb[1]
Percy Tucker. 1997. Just the Ticket. My 50 Years in Show Business. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.
Alexander Matthews. 2014. Work/Life: Nicholas Ellenbogen – Playwright. An interview posted on Aerodrome[2] on 28 Jan 2014 at http://aerodrome.co.za/worklife-nicholas-ellenbogen-playwright/. Accessed: 6 September, 2017.
Various entries in the NELM catalogue.
https://www.hermanusfynarts.co.za/artist/nicolas-ellenbogen/
https://www.hermanusfynarts.co.za/event/vet-three-mares-hound-called-max-2/
Return to
Return to ESAT Personalities E
Return to South African Theatre Personalities
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
