The prestigious Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards was an outstanding event once again, receiving accolades from all quarters.
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From the Press Release: “The 46thannual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, held at the Artscape Theatre last night,Sunday 20 March, was once again a stunning event, attended by the crème de lacrème of the South African theatre fraternity. Nominees andVIP guests, all dressed to the nines, were greeted on the red carpet withcocktails and canapés, mingling to music by the vivacious saxophonist JudyBrown and harpist Jane Theron. Lara Bye, a previous Fleur du Cap winner andnominee, directed the onstage event that was given a uniquely Capetonian vibethis year with performances by David Kramer and his Breyani Band, the LimitedEdition Drummers, the Gugulethu Tenors, Thembi Mtshali-Jones and the worldchampion break dance duo Jed and Duane Lawrence, also known as the UbuntuBBoys. Entertaining the illustrious crowd in between the awarding of prizes wasthe hilarious MC Alan Committee with the elegant television personalityCharlene Truter his co-host. The Fleur duCap Theatre Awards is the premier event of its kind in South Africa. At itsinception in 1965 it was known as the Three Leaf Awards, becoming the Fleur duCap Theatre Awards in 1978 when it was named after one of Distell’s leadingwine brands. Every year prizes are given to outstanding individuals for theatreexcellence, specifically focusing on professional theatre productions staged inthe Cape Town Metropole and surrounds. The judges are made up of local critics,journalists, writers and drama educators, who base their decisions on havingviewed close to 100 productions over twelve months, in several venues in andaround the city. The panel consists of Marianne Thamm, Mariana Malan, MarinaNel, Peter Tromp, Len Ashton, Beverley Brommert, Wayne Muller, Herman van derWesthuizen, Zane Henry, Jill Makram, Denise Bester and Conrad Sidego, thenon-voting chairman. London Road, aproduction directed by Lara Bye, scooped three awards for Robyn Scott as BestActress, Ntomboxolo Makhutshi as Best Supporting Actress and NicholasSpagnoletti for Best New SA Script. Woyzeck was acknowledged in two categorieswith Bongile Mantsai winning Best Supporting Actor and Leopold Senekal receivingthe Fleur du Cap for Best Design (costumes and set). Pieter-Dirk Uys, who wasawarded a coveted TEDDY in Berlin last month and a Naledi in Johannesbaurg lastweek, received his third major award of 2011 when he won the Fleur du Cap forBest Performance in a Revue or Cabaret for his role as Bambi Kellermann inF.A.K Songs and Other Struggle Anthems. Each awardcarries a R15 000 cash prize and a silver medallion, making a ‘Fleur du Cap’one of the most coveted awards in the industry. Awards are given for musicals,comedy and drama productions. Special attention is paid to the entire artisticcreation of a production which includes writing of new scripts, acting,directing plus the challenging technical and design elements. The variouscategory winners are as follows: BESTPERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR / BESTE VERTOLKING DEUR ‘N AKTEUR Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Warrick Grierfor Blackbird as Ray BESTPERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS / BESTE VERTOLKING DEUR ‘N AKTRISE Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Robyn Scottfor London Road as Rose BESTSUPPORTING ACTOR / BESTE ONDERSTEUNENDE AKTEUR Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol BongileMantsai for Woyzeck as Drum Major BESTSUPPORTING ACTRESS/ BESTE ONDERSTEUNENDE AKTRISE Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol NtomboxoloMakhutshi for London Road as Stella BEST DIRECTOR/ BESTE REGISSEUR Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Malcolm Purkeyfor The Girl in the Yellow Dress BESTPERFORMANCE IN A ONE-PERSON SHOW/ BESTE SPEL IN ‘N EENPERSOONVERTONING Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol James Cairnsfor Dirt for various characters BEST NEW SASCRIPT/BESTE NUWE SA TEKS TITLE/TITELPLAYWRIGHT/DRAMATURG London Road -Nicholas Spagnoletti ROSALIE VANDER GUCHT PRIZE FOR NEW DIRECTORS ROSALIE VANDER GUCHT PRYS VIR NUWE REGISSEURS Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk ChristiaanOlwagen for Woza Andries BESTPERFORMANCE IN MUSICAL/BESTE SPEL IN MUSIEKBLYSPEL Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Ilse Klink forMamma Mia! as Rosie BESTPERFORMANCE IN A REVUE OR CABARET/ BESTE SPEL IN ‘N REVUE OF KABARET Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol Pieter-DirkUys for F.A.K Songs and Other Struggle Anthems as Bambi Kellermann BESTDESIGN/BESTE ONTWERP Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk LeopoldSenekal for Costume and Prop Design for Aesop’s Fables and for Costume and SetDesign for Woyzeck BEST STUDENTAWARD/BESTE STUDENTE TOEKENNING Name / NaamPlay/Toneelstuk Role/Rol De KlerkOelofse from University of Stellenbosch (US) LIFETIMEACHIEVEMENT AWARD Mannie Manim AWARD FORINNOVATIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THEATRE Klein LibertasTheatre in Stellenbosch PEOPLES CHOICEAWARD – Members of the public voted online for their favourite production of2010 by logging onto www.fdcawards.co.za between 28 February and 16 March. Thisaward went to The Mechanicals production of Louis Nowra’s Cosi. The Fleur duCap Theatre Awards is an initiative of the Distell Foundation, forming part ofDistell’s Corporate Social Investment Programme that is dedicated to supportingthe performing arts. The event itself is an evening of glitz and glamour thatis equivalent to the Tony Awards in New York, and it attracts the cream of thecountry’s theatre talent and entertainers. A limitedamount of tickets were made available to the public, selling out as soon asthey were released. All funds raised through ticket sales are donated totheatre development in South Africa.”
