Pretoria/Tshwane South Africa
The SOMETHING MAGIC THEATRE ORGANISATION offers exposure and experience to all young and upcoming performing artists from all walks of life. It provides opportunities on stage in a diversity of performances and develop the self-confidence of all its performers.
The Organisation also offers workshops, courses and classes in the following:
African Classical Music Workshops
Djembe-, Slit- and Talking Drum classes
Pantsula, Hip-Hop and Afro-freestyle Dance classes
Performance Art course
Performance Art workshops
Film Art course
The Organisation also offers workshops, courses and classes in the following:
African Classical Music Workshops
Djembe-, Slit- and Talking Drum classes
Pantsula, Hip-Hop and Afro-freestyle Dance classes
Performance Art course
Performance Art workshops
Film Art course
The young and upcoming Performing Artists is one of Something Magic's priorities
OUR VISION
Our vision is artists who are resourceful in positioning themselves within the performing arts industry. To be successful in the arts in South Africa, it is necessary to understand the various options available, become innovative in finding gaps in the market, and to take the initiative in finding work where none exists.
Our vision is the provision of a stage for our artists who qualify in the fields of Drama, Dancing, Music and Singing and to enable them to perform in plays, musicals and concerts in a wide variety of productions. We further provide training in Stage Lights and -Sound, Stage Management and Administration.
Our vision is artists who are resourceful in positioning themselves within the performing arts industry. To be successful in the arts in South Africa, it is necessary to understand the various options available, become innovative in finding gaps in the market, and to take the initiative in finding work where none exists.
Our vision is the provision of a stage for our artists who qualify in the fields of Drama, Dancing, Music and Singing and to enable them to perform in plays, musicals and concerts in a wide variety of productions. We further provide training in Stage Lights and -Sound, Stage Management and Administration.
TWO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
It also houses two community development projects where skills development in the Performing Arts is done with offenders at the Pretoria Central Prison - “Theatre for Offenders” trading as “Stage Door”, as well as a new project “Magical Kids” with street kids from the streets of Synnyside, Pretoria. These projects are strongly supported by the University of Pretoria and the City of Tshwane who provide workspace at the Pretoria City Hall. The principle aim of these projects is crime prevention through job creation. For more information about our offenders project, please visit www.stagedoortheatre.weebly.com
The two active stage directors
Nymph Kellerman
Nymph Kellerman, founder of the Something Magic Theatre Organisation and Chairperson of it's Board of Directors, has been in the Performing Arts since the 80’s as a formal singer and actress.
Her singing career included touring with the British singing couple Anne Ziegler and Webster Booth for a couple of years, performing in a variety of operettes, musicals and recitals. As a freelance singer she sang in operas such as Samson and Delilah (Saint Saens), Carmen (Bizet) and understudied Joan Carlyle as Mimi in La Boheme (Puccini). In Johannesburg she performed under the baton of conductor Andre Strydom, and sang the lead in oratorios such as Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Handel’s Messiah, Mendellsohn’s Elijah (mezzo part).
She joined the SABC as music director in the 90’s and produced a variety of musicals and music videos for over ten years.
Her acting career included romantic leads in stage productions such as Shakespeare's “Macbeth” and “Twelfth night”, the Greek tragedy “Iphigenia in Aulis” by Euripides, “Ai tog die vroumense” by Joan Retief, “Sakke vol geld”, “Die drie van der Walts” by EA Schlegemann, “Yerma”by Garcia Lorca, “Die ligblou vaas” by Gerard Beukes. Her television performances include “Klagstaat” for Dirk de Villiers and “Die ryk weduwee” for Jan Prinsloo. Her freelance radio career included various drama series under direction of Robert Young, Paul Eilers and Jan Prinsloo.
Her writing career includes two books on Mysticism “Whisper of the gales” and “The road to Damascus”, various articles on the same subject and on health, the plays “The cry of Winnie Mandela”, “The memories in the red box” and stage adaptations of short stories for the stage by Nikilai Gogol and Guy de Maupassant. She translates and edits on a freelance basis.
She directed numerous stage performances of which the last two were the Music Drama “The cry of Winnie Mandela” and the stage play “Diary of a madman”.
At present she is Artistic Director of the Something Magic Theatre Organisation in Pretoria which was founded in 2006.
Her singing career included touring with the British singing couple Anne Ziegler and Webster Booth for a couple of years, performing in a variety of operettes, musicals and recitals. As a freelance singer she sang in operas such as Samson and Delilah (Saint Saens), Carmen (Bizet) and understudied Joan Carlyle as Mimi in La Boheme (Puccini). In Johannesburg she performed under the baton of conductor Andre Strydom, and sang the lead in oratorios such as Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Handel’s Messiah, Mendellsohn’s Elijah (mezzo part).
She joined the SABC as music director in the 90’s and produced a variety of musicals and music videos for over ten years.
Her acting career included romantic leads in stage productions such as Shakespeare's “Macbeth” and “Twelfth night”, the Greek tragedy “Iphigenia in Aulis” by Euripides, “Ai tog die vroumense” by Joan Retief, “Sakke vol geld”, “Die drie van der Walts” by EA Schlegemann, “Yerma”by Garcia Lorca, “Die ligblou vaas” by Gerard Beukes. Her television performances include “Klagstaat” for Dirk de Villiers and “Die ryk weduwee” for Jan Prinsloo. Her freelance radio career included various drama series under direction of Robert Young, Paul Eilers and Jan Prinsloo.
Her writing career includes two books on Mysticism “Whisper of the gales” and “The road to Damascus”, various articles on the same subject and on health, the plays “The cry of Winnie Mandela”, “The memories in the red box” and stage adaptations of short stories for the stage by Nikilai Gogol and Guy de Maupassant. She translates and edits on a freelance basis.
She directed numerous stage performances of which the last two were the Music Drama “The cry of Winnie Mandela” and the stage play “Diary of a madman”.
At present she is Artistic Director of the Something Magic Theatre Organisation in Pretoria which was founded in 2006.
Anthony Wilson
Anthony Wilson from “Anthony Wilson Productions” is one of Gauteng's leading Television and Stage Directors who decided to join Something Magic Theatre Organisation as a freelance director. He appeared in various theatre, film- and television productions. He was nominated for an Artes Award for his thirteen episode Television Drama Series “Onder Engele” and was also awarded the “Best Television Drama Director Award by the ATKV (The Afrikaans Language Guild).
He is the founder of “Eersterust Theatre Kitchen”, a drama School that empowers people through the arts and founded his own theatre production company “Pre-Pack Productions”.
Anthony is an actor, director, producer and writer who attained a high level of professionalism in the various aspects of the performing arts. He achieved a great deal of experience in Theatre; Industrial Theatre; Theatre in Education (T.I.E.); Corporate Video; Television and Films.
He served on various Arts Boards, and Committees, such as The Karoo National Arts Festival; The National Arts Festival of Potchefstroom, and was also nominated for the Provincial Arts Council.
Something Magic welcomes him on its Board of Directors as Director of Drama Art as well as Stage Director of many future productions at the Pretoria City Hall.
He is the founder of “Eersterust Theatre Kitchen”, a drama School that empowers people through the arts and founded his own theatre production company “Pre-Pack Productions”.
Anthony is an actor, director, producer and writer who attained a high level of professionalism in the various aspects of the performing arts. He achieved a great deal of experience in Theatre; Industrial Theatre; Theatre in Education (T.I.E.); Corporate Video; Television and Films.
He served on various Arts Boards, and Committees, such as The Karoo National Arts Festival; The National Arts Festival of Potchefstroom, and was also nominated for the Provincial Arts Council.
Something Magic welcomes him on its Board of Directors as Director of Drama Art as well as Stage Director of many future productions at the Pretoria City Hall.
SOMETHING MAGIC THEATRE ORGANISATION offers a diversity of performances:
Acting, dancing, instrumentalists, singing, choirs and guest speakers on a wide variety of interesting subjects
1. ACTING:
We present an assortment of plays - from the very dramatic to the hilariously comical. We present full-length plays, as well as a wide range of short 10min plays which are very popular with the public and suitable for corporate entertainment during any form of event.
A few examples of full length plays:
1. THE BODY IN THE BASEMENT by Alex Broun (Drama)
2. BEYOND THE HORIZON by Eugene O’Neill (Drama
3. MISS JULIE by August Strindberg (Drama)
3. THE SEAGULL by Anton Chekhov (Drama)
4. THE JACARANDA TREE by Alex Broun (Drama)
Amongst many others, our short plays include:
1. THE ACTRESS’ DILEMMA by Alex Broun (Comedy)
2. PIMPLES AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS by Unknown Author (Comedy)
3. A MATTER OF HUSBANDS – by Ferenc Molnar, translated by Benjamin Glazer (Comedy)
4. THE BED OF ANTHONY BRUNSDON by Alex Broun
5. THE WITCH OF COOS by Robert Frost
6. THE PHILOSOPHER OF BUTTERBIGGENS by Harold Chapin
7. PORCELAIN AND PINK by Scott Fitzgerald
2. POETRY:
Our popular Poetry Evenings include music and dancing – an example of this type of entertainment is:
I CRIED WHEN THE SUN BROKE DOWN
An hour of intense poetry, dancing and singing
Directed by Nymph Kellerman
The show is visually pleasing and emotionally touching. The poems are sincere and intensely expressed by its performers. The theme is “expressive pain” and the poems range from the pain of life on the street, a broken relationship, the death of a mother, the absence of a parent and the debilitating confusion of life in contemporary times.
3. DANCING:
We offer the following genres in dancing:
1. Contemporary African dancing
2. Jazz dancing
3. Hip-hop, Kwaito and Break dancing
4. Traditional Zulu dancing
5. Traditional Sepedi dancing
6. Traditional Swazi dancing
7. Gumboot dancing
8. Snake dancing
4. MUSIC
African Drumming
Marimba music
Instrumentalists – all classical- and jazz instruments
Choirs – traditional, mixed, male and Gospel
Singers – A wide variety of popular singers in an equally wide variety of genres
5. GUEST SPEAKERS:
Our Edutainment program includes a wide variety of subjects from an even wider group of guest speakers:
BALANCE BETWEEN BODY AND MIND – Dr. Retha Knoetze
DRAMA AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT – Prof. Marie-Heleen Coetzee (University of Pretoria)
EMOTIONAL WELLBEING FOR A NEW SOUTH AFRICA – Dr. Retha Knoetze
NATIONBUILDING – Prof. Antoinette Lombard (University of Pretoria)
A HEALTHY NEW SOUTH AFRICA – Prof. Jo Nel (University of Limpopo)
THE YEAR OF ASTRONOMY – Guest speakers from the Association
LOVE LANGUAGES AND THE INNER SELF – Dr. Retha Knoetze
THE FUTURE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS IN SOUTH AFRICA – Mr. Aubrey Sekhabi (Artistic Director of the South African State Theatre)
A CAREER IN THE VIDEO INDUSTRY – Mr. Ali Mpofu (Ukhamba Multi-media Productions)
SOMETHING MAGIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(for information on our members, please click on "Board Directors" in the navigation bar)
Nymph Kellerman - Chairperson (Artistic Director and SAMRO member)
Prof. Meki Nzewi - Director African Music (Univ of Pretoria)
Prof. Leketi Makalela - Director Drama (Univ of Limpopo)
Prof. Jo Nel - Director Communication (Univ of Limpopo)
Mr. Anthony Wilson - Director Drama Art (Anthony Wilson Productions)
Mr. Gary Wilson - Director Theatre Arts and Sciences
Mr. Ali Mpofu - Director Public Relations and Communication (Ukambha Multimedia Productions)
Mrs. Gernia van Niekerk - Director Projects and Programs (Univ of Pretoria)
Prof. Antoinette Lombard - Director Project Development (Univ of Pretoria)
Dr. Retha Knoetze - Director Marketing
Mr. Brian Aldworth - Director Finances (St. Joseph's Orphanage)
Mr. Kingdom Williams - Director Corporate Marketing and Global Relations (C4 World Wide)
Mr. John Monakgeng - Director of Public Relations
