Hilton High

We arrived at the Hilton Festival after hours in the worst traffic jam from a massive accident to watch the brilliant Paul Zerdin open the festival. So great. Then onwards to our technical get in which was smooth and professional - Roamy our stage manager and technician and her team rocked. So aside from our first show where a lone builder decided it was a good time to bang right outside the theatre door... We had a rocking time.

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My festival highlighted was 'Three Little Pigs' with James Cairns, Rob Van Vuuren and Albert Pretorius directed by Tara Notcutt.  Fresh.  Brave.  Funny.  Rich.  All that.

The N3 billows with veld fires... welcoming the imminent summer.

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Sad to to say goodbye... Next for Sunday Morning is our second run at Theatre on the Square from the 16 - 27 October.  Although I shall be in Florence by then.  How quickly the time goes. 

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In the Witness

Yesterday I completed our bookings for the Hilton Festival... we are going to see British Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin (how cool?!)... and Three Little Pigs (with my friends James and Rob!  Yay)... and Horn of Sorrow (will be sad - i'm sure)... and Delirium (with the brilliant Fiona Ramsay!)... and Venus in Fur (with Neil Coppen who has taken the very brave step from Director to Performer... eee).  Can't wait.  I have of course seen Sie Wies Alles - so if your reading this and haven't seen it... you should

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So tomorrow we leave for the Hilton... where our shows are sold out.  How lovely.  A packed audience i'm so excited!  This is the booklet that is released in the Witness newspaper...  ah.  And there we are.


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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

Rocking Hilton...

We went off the the Hilton Witness Arts festival this last weekend... where Dirt was totally sold out... there were people sitting in the isles and along the sides of the stage... impromptu theatre in the round... lovely. How divine to perform for such a massive amount of people... We arrived just in time for our technical rehearsal sans step ladder... Which we forgot in Joburg. Of course. The theatre rocked and the technician / stage manager Romi also rocked. We achieved all of our lighting stages... AND... we had a programmable lighting board. Very rare. Very cool. We plotted lights, did our run through and then hit the hardware stores in search of a new step ladder. James made me listen the AC/DC THE WHOLE TIME! DADADADAAAAA... THUNDER!!!!!! Gr angry music. Mm. But he assured me that he would stop as soon as we found the ladder.... 10 HARDWARE STORES LATER. I ate chocolate and mock headbanged.

It was freezing cold oh-so. The night before I had gone out for dinner and was told that it was like 40 degrees in Hilton and that the people were passing out from heat exhaustion. I didn't take a coat. I totally forgot that Hilton's weather is schizophrenic... It was so cold I brought a jumper and got Nick to pack my coats (he was arriving the next day). The next day was so hot we could hardly breathe! I mean - what is that?

Nick arrived... just in the Nick of time... Qwa Qwa. The ladder with the AC/DC soundtrack had to painted black... of course it did... and well - it hadn't actually dried. Nick arrived from Jo-burg 10 minutes before our first show with the original forgotten ladder and saved the day... or show.

The Witness newspaper said that 'The piece is sometimes crude, but it is always funny — often very funny indeed.' Margaret von Klemperer

It was a big weekend. I had my birthday there as well - and got spoiled rotten by Nick - brought a vintage hat at the flee market - played to a full house - received massive applause - all in all a very very good day.

We also saw some amazing amazing theatre. Particularly Tree Boy... a complete feast of visual delight. I just loved loved loved it. Beautiful work by a massive and highly creative team lead by Neil Coppen.

Neil Coppen's Tree Boy - photo by Sian Cohen

Now we are back in Johannesburg in the throws of work... But the distant sound of applause is still with me. The AC/DC ladder is living out his death metal torchered life, alone, in the back of the Hilton Boys Theatre, in the dark... Quietly drying. Thunder!