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company > shows > Australia
Vs. South Africa
How did this play happen?
In 2000, Zeal Theatre's Tom Lycos and
Stefo Nantsou were performing their production "THE STONES" at
festivals in Monterey & San Diego, USA. South African performing
duo Ellis and Bheki were performing their show "SQUARK" at
the same festivals. The two teams saw each other's work and
enjoyed each other's similarities of style, sense of humour
and social analysis. The two teams got to know each other a
bit, had a few laughs, and went their separate ways.
In 2004, this time at a festival in Calgary,
Canada, the two teams met again, saw each other's shows again,
got to know each other a little better, had a lot more laughs,
and there was a wild idea about the possibility of working
together some time in the future, and, again, they went their
separate ways.
In 2006, after numerous successful seasons
of Zeal Theatre shows at their Wharf 2 Theatre, the Sydney
Theatre Company commissioned Tom & Stefo to write a new
play. They remembered a certain wild idea and decided to see
if it could be achieved.
Ellis & Bheki were delighted by the
opportunity of a co-collaboration with the Zeals, and in February
2007, Tom & Stefo flew to Durban with a concept outline
for a play called "AUSTRALIA vs SOUTH AFRICA" about
nationalism, sport, media panic & racism. For ten days
the four boys work-shopped the story and theatrical ideas,
created characters and scenarios, formalized a structure and
then, once again, went their separate ways.
Returning to Oz, Tom & Stefo wrote
a first draft of the play, e-mailing occurred back and forth
across the Indian Ocean, the odd phone call here and there,
until finally in early July 2007, the boys from Durban flew
into Sydney and rehearsals began in earnest at the Sydney Theatre
Company. "AUSTRALIA vs SOUTH AFRICA" premiered at
the Wharf 2 Theatre on July 30, 2007, some seven and a half
years after the boys first met in Monterey.
The play's successful international collaboration
led to it being presented by Barking Gecko Theatre for the
Perth Festival in February 2008, and was selected to be performed
at the ASSITEJ World Congress in Adelaide in May 2008.
The premiere performance in South African
will be the Grahamstown Festival in June 2008.
Cheers to wild ideas!
artist biographies
Bheki Mkhwane
Bheki grew up in KwaMashu Township,
Durban. He was inspired by the legendary Gibson Kente to become
an actor. He formed numerous amateur township theatre groups
before working with some of South Africa's major theatre companies
performing a range of work from Shakespeare to Athol Fugard.
He has also hosted TV shows, worked as a film actor and tours
regularly throughout South Africa and abroad performing his own
unique storytelling plays. He has worked with Ellis Pearson as ‘Ellis & Bheki'
in dozens of original productions which have toured internationally
since 1992.
Tom Lycos
Tom was born in Aberystwyth, Wales, grew
up in Canberra, Australia. After two years performing with
Dutch company KISS, Tom joined Sidetrack Theatre (1985-'88).
He then played the lead male role in Jane Campion's film "SWEETIE" before
joining Circus Oz. In the early 90s he was busy playing in
two stage musicals as well as performing with Melbourne Theatre
Company, Arena Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Melbourne Workers
Theatre, Back to Back Theatre and Kinetic Energy and being
a co-deviser/actor in the Burning House production of "THAT
EYE THE SKY". In 1996, Tom joined fellow ex-Sidetracker
Stefo Nantsou and Zeal Theatre and has since co-created 6 original
productions including the world-renowned "THE STONES",
and most recently "GRONKS" & "TABOO" which
were commissioned by the Sydney Theatre Company in 2006 & 2007.
Ellis Pearson
From an early age, Ellis devoted himself
to a wide range of pursuits including painting, creating music,
inventing contraptions and performing as a magician. The Weekly
Mail & Guardian in South Africa has described him as ‘a
post-modern renaissance man'. He studied graphic design, painting
and sculpture for nine years before completing a two year course
in mime, movement and theatre at the renowned Ecole Jacques
LeCoq school in Paris. Since 1992, Ellis has worked regularly
with Bheki Mkhwane in dozens of productions which have toured
worldwide, he has directed numerous plays, has had 2 one-man
art exhibitions, has won two major film acting awards, and
built a couple of houses as well.
Stefo Nantsou
Stefo was born a Novocastrian Macedonian.
He co-founded the Ship-O-Fools Clowns in 1980. He performed/directed/co-wrote
plays for Freewheels & Sidetrack Theatres before founding
Zeal Theatre in 1989. He has since created, performed or directed
over 100 original productions around the world, including "TATAU" (a
co-production with New Zealand's Pacific Underground), "THE
STONES" (performed over 1000 times worldwide, & produced
in over 20 countries), "BOOMERANG" (with Danish company
Teatret Neo) & "CSATÁROK" (with Kolibri
Theatre in Budapest, Hungary). In 2005, Zeal Theatre received
the prestigious ASSITEJ President's Award for ‘outstanding
service to the theatre for young people industry'
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