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Two Sheds Theatre presents
African Gothic
Playwright | Reza de Wet
Producer and Co-director | Roger Mortimer
Co-director | Deborah Edgington
Set and Costume Designer | Nancy Surman
Lighting Designer | Jack Weir
Sound Designer | Erin Witton
Biographies
Playwright | Reza de Wet
Reza de Wet was a South African playwright who was born in a small town (Senekal) in the Free State. She worked extensively as an actress, had a Master’s degree in English Literature and lectured in the Drama Department of Rhodes University in Grahamstown until her death in 2012.
De Wet was a prolific writer who wrote twelve plays in fifteen years (five in English and seven in Afrikaans). She won more major South African theatre and literary awards than any other writer (including Athol Fugard). She won nine awards for her scripts (five Vita awards, three Fleur du Cap awards and a Dalro award) as well as every prestigious literary award (a CNA prize, a Rapport prize and twice the Herzog prize) and productions of her plays have won more than forty theatre awards. InOpen Space, an anthology of new African plays, she is the only woman represented and one of only two South African dramatists. She also achieved the distinction of being the only dramatist to have a play on the official programme at the International Grahamstown Festival for three consecutive years, and the only playwright (South African or other) to have two of her plays run in tandem at the State Theatre in Pretoria.
Her plays are Diepe Grond (African Gothic), 1986, the first play in Afrikaans to be produced by the Market Theatre, Johannesburg; Op Dees Aarde, 1986, presented by the Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal (PACT) at the Windybrow Theatre in Johannesburg and The Momentum Theatre in Pretoria; Nag General, 1988, presented by the Market Theatre Company on the official programme at the Grahamstown Festival and transferred to the Market Theatre; In A Different Light, 1989, presented by the Market Theatre; A Worm In The Bud, 1990, presented by PACT at the Windybrow Theatre in Johannesburg and the Momentum Theatre in Pretoria; Mirakel (Miracle), 1992, opened on the official programme at the Grahamstown Festival and transferred to the Wits Theatre in Johannesburg and the Momentum Theatre in Pretoria; Mis (Missing), 1993, presented by the Cape Performing Board (CAPAB) on the official programme at the Grahamstown Festival and transferred to the Nico Milan Theatre in Cape Town and the State Theatre in Pretoria; Drif (Crossing), 1994, presented by CAPAB, opened on the official programme at the Grahamstown Festival and transferred to the Nico Milan Theatre in Cape Town. Crossing, Reza de Wet’s English version, 1995, produced by CAPAB, presented at the Nico Milan Theatre in Cape Town; Drie Susters Twee, (Three Sisters 2 – a sequel toThree Sisters), 1997, produced by CAPAB, opened on the Official programme at the Karoo Festival, Oudtshoorn, and transferred to the Nico Milan Theatre in Cape Town, revived by and performed at the State Theatre in Pretoria; Yelena, (a sequel to Uncle Vanya) 1998, presented by the State Theatre, opened on the official programme at the Grahamstown Festival and transferred to the State Theatre in Pretoria. Her last plays are The Brothers, a biographical play about Anton Chekhov and his brothers,On The Lake (inspired by The Seagull) that premiered at the Grahamstown Festival in June 2001 andBreathing In, which opened at Grahamstown in July 2004 and then played Cape Town. Her novel Stil Mathilda was published in 1995 and is currently being developed as a feature film.
Her work has been performed in the UK, USA, Australia, the Czech Republic, Greece and Holland and has been widely translated throughout Europe.
Producer and Co-director | Roger Mortimer
Roger studied with Marina Carr and Tim Crouch at the Lir Academy, part of Trinity College Dublin, and at the Arvon Foundation with Simon Stephens and David Eldridge. He has written several plays, which have been performed as far afield as Warsaw, Prague, Pittsburgh and Buenos Aires. One of them, Guilty Secret, has been published by Oberon Modern Plays.
He also studied directing with Tony Clark at East 15 and Tom King at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and directed his own first play, Why Don't You Just Sing Jazz?, on the last night of the Grimeborn Festival of Alternative Opera at the Arcola Theatre in 2009.
He is the founder and Artistic Director of Two Sheds theatre company, for which he has produced and co-directed Torben Betts' Muswell Hill, first at the White Bear Theatre and then at the Park Theatre, Edward Bond's Black Mass at the Lewisham Fringe Festival and Athol Fugard's My Children! My Africa!, first at the Tristan Bates Theatre and then at Trafalgar Studios
Co-director | Deborah Edgington
As Co-Director with Two Sheds: Athol Fugard's My Children! My Africa! (transfer to Trafalgar Studios and Tristan Bates Theatre), Torben Betts' Muswell Hill (transfer to Park Theatre), Brian Edwards' Sitting Tenant - Rehearsed Reading (The Arts Theatre), Edward Bond's Black Mass (Lewisham Fringe Theatre), Muswell Hill (White Bear Theatre).
As Director: The Seagull (Chesil Theatre), Memorial, Harry's Seat - Rehearsed Readings (Salisbury Playhouse), Burger Boy, Herbie and A Streetcar Named Desire for which she received a Curtain Call nomination for Best Director (Chesil Theatre).
As Assistant Director: Battle Lines Trilogy Regional Tour: Call Up, Keep Smiling Through, In My Name (Forest Forge Theatre Company).
Deborah has also organised and produced the biennial 10x10 National Playwrtiting Competition and New Writing Festival for the Chesil Theatre since 2010 and will be launching the next one in January 2016.
Deborah is a Board member of Forest Forge Theatre Company and Platform 4 Theatre Company, and a member of the JMK Trust (Salisbury Playhouse Group), Young Vic Directors’ Programme and SDUK. Before becoming a director, Deborah was Head of Fundraising and Development at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, a post she held for over nine years.
Set and Costume Designer | Nancy Surman
Nancy's recent work includes Much Ado About Nothing for Vienna's English Theatre's 50th Anniversary Season; The Daughter-in-Law and Dangerous Corner (New Vic Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent); an outdoor production of Animal Farm (the old prison yard in Oxford); and Can't Pay? Won't Pay! (Oldham Coliseum).
She designed the world premieres of Get Ken Barlow (Watford Palace Theatre); The Swing of Things (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough) and A Stinging Sea (Glasgow Citizens Theatre). Also the stage premieres of Hanif Kureishi'sThe Buddha of Suburbia and My Beautiful Laundrette (SNAP Theatre Company).
Her touring work includes major National tours of Dad's Army and 'Allo 'Allo (Calibre Productions); Aspects of Love andNoel and Gertie (Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage); a Far East tour of Noel Coward's Private Lives; and tours of The Road to Hell and Johnny Watkins Walks on Water (Birmingham Repertory Theatre).
Other productions include designs for Indian Ink, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Waters of the Moon, The Duchess of Malfi, The Rivals and The Winter's Tale (Salisbury Playhouse); The Accrington Pals (Duke's Theatre, Lancaster); Private Lives (Bolton Octagon) and The Final Appearance of Miss Mamie Stuart (Torch Theatre, Milford Haven).
Nancy designed Maxim Gorky's Barbarians (Salisbury Playhouse) for which she was nominated for the TMA best designer award 2003.
For Two Sheds she has designed their productions of Muswell Hill (Torben Betts) at the White Bear Theatre and the Park Theatre, Black Mass (Edward Bond) for the Lewisham Fringe Festival, and My Children! My Africa! (Athol Fugard) at the Tristan Bates Theatre and Trafalgar Studios, for which she has been nominated for an Off West End Award for Best Set Designer.
Lighting Designer | Jack Weir
Jack graduated from the Guildhall School this year. He is the winner of the 2014 ETC Award for Lighting Design.
Designs include: All Male Pirates of Penzance (UK Tour); Wild Worlds (Waterloo Vault Festival); Rise Like A Phoenix, The Boy's Upstairs & Bathhouse (Above The Stag); The Addams Family (Bird College); Muswell Hill (The Park Theatre); Grim - The Musical (Charing Cross Theatre & The Rose Theatre); Misalliance (Tabard Theatre); Hamlet(Riverside Studios); Henry V & True Dare Kiss (Guildhall School); Richard III (Upstairs at The Gatehouse); Passing By(Tristan Bates Theatre); Titus Andronicus (The Arcola Theatre); Armstrong's War & Princess Ida (The Finborough Theatre).
Jack recently designed Burnt By The Sun, his final year lighting design project at The Guildhall School, and was assistant to Jon Clark on Luna Gale at The Hampstead Theatre.
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Sound Designer | Erin Witton
Erin is currently training at the Guildhall School.
She was a member of the Michael Grandage Futures Company 2013/14.
Sound design credits include: Flood Town (MGC Futures, Noel Coward Theatre), Genes (Paper Plain Theatre Company), Richard III (Upstairs at the Gatehouse), Spring Awakening (Pleasance, Islington), RENT (The Cockpit), An Evening with Lucian Freud (Leicester Square Theatre) and Burnt by the Sun (Guildhall School).
As Associate Sound Designer: True Dare Kiss and South Downs/The Browning Version (Guildhall School).