JULIE CAMPBELL
JOURNALIST AND FILMMAKER
Mies Julie is an adaptation of the classic play Miss Julie by August Strindberg set in a post apartheid Karoo farmhouse. The play involves Miss Julie, a farmer's daughter; John, a labourer; and Christine, John's mother who brought them both up. The plot unfolds over a night in the farm's kitchen and the tumultuous clash between Mies Julie and John. The production becomes a gritty and harrowing piece that touches on major concerns of South Africa today. A Baxter Theatre and State Theatre production.
MIES JULIE
This play tells the story of hope and Dolly Parton. The play begins and ends with a traffic accident, where the three characters are pulled into each other's chaotic lives. Hope is a woman lusting after the affection of gay Theo. She takes all of her life advice from the lyrics of Dolly Parton songs. Marion is a neurotic woman who, after moving into a new house, seduces Theo, believing that he is Jesus Christ. She becomes pregnant and believes that she will bear the second coming of Christ. This is a bittersweet piece of theatre that won the 2012 Perth Fringe Theatre Award.
HOPE IS THE SADDEST
The Blue Iris had its world premier at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2012. The play is set in the Karoo and is the story of Rober Hannay, owner of the farm; Rita Plaasman, who works for him' and Robert's wife Sally who was killed in a fire that destroyed their home. It is a gritty and harrowing play. In this piece Janice Honeyman, the director, talks about the play and her relationship with Fugard.
THE BLUE IRIS
Callum's Will is a tender and moving tale of an unlikely friendship between two men. The main character is a cultured man in his forties, an ex-ballet dancer whose career was cut short by an accident which left him a paraplegic in a wheelchair. His counterpoint is a boy in his twenties from the wrong side of the tracks who still holds onto his hopes and dreams. The play is a journey moving from laughter to sadness and from hope to despair. Written and directed by Janna Ramos-Violante, it features Darren King, whose life was the inspiration for the play, and Clinton Small.
CALLUM'S WILL
The Runaway Train Cult is a side project of the Afrikaans roots music band, Radio Kalahari Orkes. A collaboration of some of South Africa's best musicians the band comprises Dan Roberts (2012 SAMA: Best Producer Winner), Christine Roberts, Wynand J Davel, Friso Woudstra and Brendan Ou Tim with compositions from Riann Malan. Their sound is eclectic, consisting of Irish influenced murder ballads and suicide songs played in a merry and entertaining way. All of the instruments are acoustic, and the band celebrates unusual string instruments.
RUNAWAY TRAIN CULT
Through Blue is a fusion of physical theatre and music, about dreams and how to survive without selling out the soul. Based on Master Misery by Truman Capote, this collaboration between Rob Murray, Andrew Buckland and Ubom! Theatre Company creates a world in which people collide world and sell their dreams to an oppressive government for money. It is a tragi-comedy in which Andrew Buckland and the rest of the cast move the audience to laughter and tears.
THROUGH BLUE
Big Girl is a solo work written and directed by Juliet Jenkin. It tells the story of Sylvia Smorkels, a giant of a woman seeking refuge in the Drakensburg. Police and armed forces are trying to arrest her for the murder of four violent men and the provocative stage action is her conversation with her apprehenders. Her only companion is a tree she plants in a paddle pool. This quirky and humorous character, played by Daneel van der Walt, delves into themes such as feminism, loneliness, violence and the environment.
BIG GIRL
Attending the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown can be an expensive experience with all the transport, accommodation, shopping and the multitude of fascinating shows, exhibitions and music. cueTV presents Fest for Free, a look at some of the many things that are on offer for festival goers - for freeeee. Free shows, exhibitions, spectacles, puppets, buskers, food, music and a vibe that is priceless. This is a fun piece which shows off the different sides of the festival on a shoe-string budget.
FEST FOR FREE
PERFORMANCE OBSCURA
"Performance Obscura", by Athie Patra-Ruga is an unconventional piece of performance theatre in the streets of Grahamstow. See how people react to Patra-Ruga's unusual costume and symbolism....
PIETER-DIRK EISH
In an unusual show format, Pieter-Dirk Uys plays whichever character is picked by the audience out of a set of boxes. Uys talks about the show, his characters, laughing at yourself, satire, good news, politics and freedom of expression.
Note: I was involved in the interviewing and filming of this piece, and not the editing.
In 2012 I worked as a journalist on the Rhodes University television project CueTV for the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. It was an intense ten days in which we had to create a piece every day. Below are my ten CueTV pieces.