Cultsha Kennis

Anyone who knows musical theatre in Cape Town will know Carlo Daniels! He is either rocking a klopse scene in a New Years themed show, or singing with the playboys on a street corner on stage – which makes perfect sense why he was cast as part of the Cavalla Kings in Kat & The Kings , right Kaapstad?! He also won an award with Suidoosterfees in 2019 for his performance in Klippies Van Die Grond (see a review of this show in our previous posts!). Cultsha Kennis was just overjoyed at the opportunity to feature this Mitchell’s Plain born performer and to relive some of our favourite moments with him through our interview!       Cultsha Kennis: Congratulations on a successful run of Triple Axel at the Toyota US Woordfees 2020! Tell us about this character and your experience playing him on stage.    CD: Thank you. In Triple Axel I played the role of Adham Salie who is a young gay Muslim man. He has his own small business. He is an artist who mak...

Alexis Petersen in Danger in the Dark Photo by Jesse Kramer  In any musical, there are characters that stay with you long after the curtains have closed. Its been months since we have seen Danger in the Dark at the Baxter Theatre (see a review of this show on our previous posts!) and the character of Pamela, played by Alexis Petersen, still resonates with us. One of the known reasons for this may be, as mentioned by Sarafina Magazine, that Pamela taking to the streets as a vehicle for change was very symbolic and pertinent to the femicide and gender-based violence protests that broke out in September 2019. How these voices and issues were musically represented was remarkable and completely owed to the show’s director, David Kramer. We definitely see some of the fruits of having rewritten this show! Unfortunately, Danger in the Dark has been cancelled at the Baxter Theatre due to the coronavirus outbreak. But on the plus side, it has given us time to get to know the wom...

Stellenbosch University born actor and playwright, Keanan Engel, hails from Bredarsdorp in the Western Cape and is taking the theatre world on by storm with proudly queer-themed theatre stories! Just having stepped off the stage at his latest production at Woordfees 2020 (see a review of Nancy Shiela & Gayle on our Facebook page!), Keanan gives us an insider’s perspective into his theatre making! Cultsha Kennis: Congratulations on a successful run of Nancy Shiela & Gayle at the Toyota US Woordfees 2020! What inspired you to write this show?  KE: I've always wondered what a play would look and feel like if it centered around queer characters who embraced and celebrated their identity and gender expression. I was really curious to witness such a freedom on stage. When I started the process of Nancy, Shiela & Gayle I drew a lot from my own experiences particularly my personal journey with identity but the trajectory of the play changed once I asked myself: ...

Originally from Somerset West, Kanya Viljoen is a young theatre maker. She is currently enrolled at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where she is completing a Masters’ degree in theatre and drama. She has also received multiple nominations in the theatre industry by the KykNET Fiësta Awards and Fleur Du Cap, and her theatre work has been seen at multiple arts festivals nationally. Today we get an insider’s perspective with Kanya on all things theatre and the arts!     Kanya Viljoen Photo by Justin Munitz  Cultsha Kennis: Tell us about your background. How did you get into theatre? KV: Since a young age, I have been interested in poetry, music and dance. My poor parents – I think I must have made them sit through endless hours of impromptu performances! So, it has always been such an intrinsic part of how I expressed myself within the world, that studying theatre and performance seemed like a very organic next step. It never felt like I had any other choice. ...