Out and About... on a Sunday Morning

We were in the Sunday Independent yesterday... on a warm sunny Sunday Morning.  Qwa qwa.  Check it out.  How rocking.  On the next page... to the right... was Batman.  Mmm.  The connection ends there.  James and I did this photo shoot when we were on at Goethe on Main just before we opened the doors for one of the shows... oh quickly James we need publicity shots... and go.  and i'm very glad we did.  This image below has proved to be very useful.  The play has done amazingly in terms of press - the response has been nothing short of overwhelming - big thanks to Christine Skinner and Simon Cooper from Kalk Bay Theatre... those who see it love it... and yet... we are still playing to medium sized audiences.  Is that the state of theatre... because all evidence points to the fact that it is not the work.  The work is good.  Possibly even great.  James is brilliant.  And Nick really can write.  Is it because we are from Joburg playing in someone else's garden?  Could be.  Or is it that reputation takes time.  Possibly.  James doesn't perform often in Cape Town and Nick and I have only taken Dirt there previously (outside of the Out the Box festival).  Or is it really just theatre.  And everyone in one way or another has this experience outside of the festival circuit.  Either way - we continue to make work... and will continue to do so till the 11 August in Cape Town (so book now!) in the hope that word-of-mouth will kick in big time and we will be fill to the rafters in our final two weeks... and then onwards to St Annes Diocesan College Cultural Festival,  Old Mutual Theatre on the Square and The Witness Hilton Festival.  I don't feel too bad because Batman (which we also went to watch this weekend - and it totally rocked!) wasn't sold out either :p

Sound bites from other reviews:

'A gem of a story, magnificently crafted writing' - Robyn Sassen, Artslink

'Everything Defending the Caveman should have been... sharp, sassy script... unstoppable!' - Diane de Beer, Star

'Virtually flawless' - Steve Kretzmann, Artsblog

'This piece is so beautifully and colourfully written and James is nothing short of magnificent.  I left the theatre grinning like a lunatic, and spreading the "gospel" of Sunday Morning like some demented cult member!' - Christina Kennedy, freelance journalist  

'A magisterial performance... a script replete with poetry, poignancy and incisive wit...a tour de force by the most exacting standards, from the brilliant, wordless preface to the last speech.  A gem.  FIVE STARS' - Theresa Smith, Cape Argus

'SUNDAY MORNING is 'n diep menslike storie wat met eenvoud oorgedra word.  Maar as jy James Cuningham het, is daar in elk geval oorvloed.  4 Sterre' - Marina Griebenow, Die Burger

'perfect for any evening' - Tracey Saunders, Cape Times

'witty, charming and heart-felt' - Yoursoapbox.co.za

'gentle, funny, poignant... Jenine Collocott has directed the play using Cuningham's mastery of physical theatre to tell the story... a beautiful and heart-warming piece of theatre.  I loved "running" this little journey of "SUNDAY MORNING" and would encourage you to run it too.'  Bizcommunity.com

'this extraordinarily talented performer, utterly immersed in a role that had us transfixed with awe' - Whatsonincapetown.com

'near perfect... takes you from fits of laughter to deep introspective moments that leave a lump in your throat' - TheatreSceneCpt

'a moving piece with moments of sheer elegance... Put on your tracksuit, lace up your takkies and take a "SUNDAY MORNING" run through life's major little lessons with this masterful crew..."  Scarletnugni.com

'This is a slick, beautifully finished production, the kind of performance I wish we got the chance to see more often.  Go and see Cuningham prove that fatherhood's not for the faint hearted.'  - Clara Lever, 48 Hours

Work in Life

Corporate Client:  Avusa Media
Video:  Work in Life | Results Survey 2009
My Role:  Producer and Video Director

We did this video for Avusa Media's 2009 South African work-life survey...  and I dig it... the simplicity of the art work by cartoonist and artist Alastair Findlay... the gentleness of the animation by Hayden Bodill... the subtle sound design by Andrew Spitz.  Alastair developed all the art work and I arrived at the animator's office with brown envelopes packed with frame by frame artwork - old school - which he scanned in and animated.  It has a quality which the cut out art work gives to the work.  It's simple - sometimes that's better.  Often actually.

    

Storyboard look and feel

From there we rolled out a country wide breakfast event... this is the holding slide.

This is of the PPT content slides each speaker was given... creative pull through.  ah.

Come a new dawn, come a new man

James Cuningham outside the theatre... keeping warm!

me in my new bunny dress.

It was cold when I arrived... light cloud.  rough ocean.  cool breeze.  pale blue sky.  a slight texture in the sea air.  Breathe in.  Ah.... feels like Cape Town.  All that was missing was a bit of drizzle.  I love how European Cape Town feels... reminds me of Florence... where I've lived for 6 months of the year for the past two years.  Urban-quaint... a lovely combination.  I brought a new dress along the Kalk Bay promenade from the most darling shop, Catacombes, with a cheerful talkative owner whose wife makes the dresses... also very European I might add.

We were busy doing our technical get in preparing for our technical run through... Simon [owner of Kalk Bay Theatre] had very kindly brought down - from the Grahamstown Festival - what bits of set could be lowered into his convertable... which was suprisingly a lot!  I got major minus points as show producer this time around [long story]... and Nick was to drive down with the last set piece and the smoke machine in time for our opening on Saturday night.  Everything was okay.  James Cuningham had just completed shooting the movie version of Long Walk to Freedom [I know - how cool] - Half our set had arrived - I arrived [and brought a dress eee] - no technical issues - we were happily plotting lights... we were on track.  and then my phone rang.  

Nick is snowed in somewhere in the Karoo.  Not having the one set piece makes just about no difference to the show... not having the smoke machine was easy to hire in... but not having Nick was worrying as trucks were jack-knifing in the road... sliding down ridges onto their sides... B'nB's were all booked out.  It was all quite chaotic...  But luckily Nick pulled his Landrover Man moves and got through to us at 12 o'clock that night.  Hectic.  

Nice to walk out of a darkened theatre and this be your view <3 Kalk Bay Theatre

Down on the docks drawing money and buying cool drinks.

A pigeon pair of boats x

The opening went rather well I believe and we have had bucket loads of wonderful reviews flying in.  Very exciting... and hopefully good reviews do really turn into good audiences... here are some of them...

Come a new dawn, come a new man - What's On | Tonight | IOL.co.za by Theresa Smith

[What I love about this one is firstly the headline and the way she describes how a Sunday morning should be... ahh.  That's why it's called that... that and it takes place over two sunday mornings]

Bizcommunity by Daphne Cooper

[What I love about this one is the reference to the dress moment - that and the idea that we would have absolutely no set :p]

Scar*let Nguni Blog by Scar*let

[What I love about this one is the trip down memory lane to High Diving <3]

Die Burger by Marina Griebenow

[What I love about this one is the chameleon walking over autumn leaves description x]

What's on in Cape Town by Andrea Fedder

[What I love about this one is it was in the top three things to do in Cape Town] 

Theatre Scene CPT by the people at Theatre Scene Cape Town ;)

[What I love about this one is the idea of jumping out of your chair and yelling at the actor "I know what you mean!"]

Us on stage... with wonderful other artists... like Janni Younge and Adrian Kohler from Handspring Puppet Company

And while we were doing all that... this is where Nick was... can you believe this is the Karoo!?

For more of the adventure story and other amazing pictures of the Karoo visit Nicks blog...

All three of us, me James and Nick, in the theatre on Sunday morning ... he-he ...
for a final tech before Nick and I flew back to Joburg... 

Diane De Beer's interview ran in the Cape Town Argus the Monday after the show.  Cool.

Thank you to Kalk Bay theatre... to Simon Cooper and Christine Skinner.

Grahamstown 2012

We have just.. well sort of 'just'... it's already been a week... returned from a wonderful Grahamstown Festival.  All buoyant and exhausted from watching shows... presenting our show Sunday Morning... putting up posters... handing out flyers... all special tasks that say Grahamstown.  One cannot help knowing somewhere deep down that it is all worth it... the effort.  the rigor.  the creative differences.  ultimately the work.  And being on the Main Programme - what a delight.  Nice audiences.  Great technical support.  Pity the cue didn't give us a review - which was a bit bizarre.  Luckily this week reviews have come in and of course that helps us with the runs we have from here.  [Kalk Bay Theatre - opening tomorrow.  Theatre on the Square - opening early September.  And the Hilton Festival - mid September.]  What can you do... about the Cue I mean.  Continue to make good work.  And employ a marketing PR person... that would be good too.

So yes.  Some sound bites...

Left on our FaceBook Group wall by Christina Kenedy a freelance journalist who dug High Diving - so we dig her...

"I just wanted to congratulate all of you for crafting the funniest, most enriching and most rewarding show I saw at festival this year.  The piece is so beautifully and colourfuly written, and James is nothing short of magnificent.  I left the Hangar grinning like a lunatic, and spreading the 'gospel' of Sunday Morning like a demented cult member!"

After one of the shows Andrew Buckland to Nick...  "Did you write this you BEEP BEEP" [Meant in the good sense!]

Tony Lankesters tweet...  "Just seen Sunday Morning #NAF 2012 @jamescuningham was extraordinary.  In a very real way"

Links to official reviews:
Some gems among the fringe benefits - What's On | Tonight | IOL.co.za - Diane De Beer
"Is 'n stukkie spoelgoud" [a tiny nugget of gold] - Anna-Retha Bouwer Beeld Newspaper
"Virtually Flawless" - Steve Kretzmann on Artsblog
"My best of fest" - Simon Cooper on Artsblog

So enough about us... My top three festival highlights were...


1.  The Epicene Butcher

It was brilliant.   and fresh.  and creative.  and simple.  and unexpected.  and had story... and design.  equally.  in short.  it rocked.  i leapt to my feet at the end.  rocking.

2.  ManoLibera

Overhead projector live illustration animation with actors.  and story [again! :)]  yes.  i felt five years old with wide eyes at the joy and splendor of storytelling.  and it was deep.  deep.

Below is their clip from YouTube... [I hope they don't mind]

3.  Voices Made Night

The chorus work... how i loved the chorus work.  the lighting.  the singing.  visual theatre... with [less traditional] story and bucket loads of heart and rigor.  i loved loved loved it.

Of course there were loads of shows we didn't get around to seeing... but i'm sure we will soon enough.

  

On another note. I shall be returning to Italy in October for Helikos third year.  Decision made.  Deposit paid.  Eee.  Theatre.  Poor Nick. x