The curtain rises this December on a great selection of theatre, comedy and music at the White House. 

The season kicks off on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 December with The Comedy Revolution featuring top Cape comics Rob van Vuuren, Dave Levinsohn and Martin Evans.  This off-beat show packed with side-splitting comedy is part of their national holiday tour and not to be missed!

Sunday 13 December sees the award winning a-cappella group Flip A Coin singing popular feel-good songs in both English and Afrikaans.  This energetic group, featured on Noot vir Noot earlier this month have received critical acclaim.

Mary Steward’s hilarious one woman comedy about the journey from girlhood to growing up, aptly called Womanhood plays on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 December.  This has played to packed houses in Cape Town and Durban, and has received rave reviews for its insightful yet humorous look at the way girls grow up in the world. 

Sunday 20 December hosts The Bridesmaid, another Mary Steward production, which tells the story of a single girls’ journey down the aisle 7 times – with all the madness and mayhem of wedding preparations as seen through the eyes of the bridesmaid. 

Simply Dotty is a wonderful collection of witty monologues, performed by Port Elizabeth actress Delray Peters, on Monday 21 December.  This show explores life and love based on the sharp observations of the American writer Dorothy Parker.

This is followed by Catch, a high-energy adventure of a wanabee rock artist, which covers bird-watching, drug dealing, blackmail, a touching exploration of friendship and a Knysna fishing competition. Cobus van Heerden has won heaps of awards for this exceptional one-handed show which will play on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 December. 

The popular local Garden-Route band Aquaplane will unwind the weekend on Sunday 27 December, featuring the cross-cultural sounds of guitar maestro Brent Kozac and moving into more traditional blues with Waldemar van Wyk and James Kiekzinski. 

Yawazzi productions from Cape Town then present two nights of their new physical theatre comedy, Interiors on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 December.  This snappy fast-paced show about relationships has all the ingredients for the dissection and analysis of human relationships and the crazy little thing called love.

There is also a great kid’s programme over the holidays, with drama workshops and afternoon shows for the whole family.  These are put together by the fantastic local group, Lunchbox Theatre and offer something for everyone to do on those less than perfect beach days.   Workshops for children include adventure and mystery drama explorations, as well as rhythm and dance workshops.  The kid’s shows include The Whale Show, for kids aged 5 and upwards, which explore the relationship between whales and people through the ages.  Marley and Farley is the story of two dolls that set off on the adventure of a life-time ideal for younger kids, aged 2 to 8.  Khokho’s suitcase is an adaptation of traditional African animal folk tales for ages 5 and upwards. 

For older children, Mary Steward is running a series of morning workshops for teenagers, exploring drama techniques and creating short drama pieces that will culminate in a performance on Sunday 20^th December.  Mary has worked extensively with the Oprah school and with other groups, and her workshops take teenagers on a voyage of self-discovery. 

Kid’s shows cost R30 and start at 3pm.  The kid’s workshop programme runs in the mornings.  All evening shows start at 8pm and ticket prices are R80 (except New Year’s Eve).  Concessions apply for pensioners and children.  For bookings or information please contact 0445332010 or 0826736662, or see www.whitehousevenue.co.za

The White House was designed with theatre in mind and the stage, which is normally 4.8 metres deep and 7.2 meters wide can be increased in width to 9.6 metres. A lighting rig is installed as is a sound system. The acoustics are very good and have been attested to by not only the actors we have had perform for us but also by the professional opera singers we have had the privilege of hosting. We would welcome suggestions for future performances and any enquiries may be directed to Neill Ovenstone at 082-495-9514.

 

Rehearsal for "Living with Mr. Green"		Mark Banks		"The Bridesmaid" with Mary Steward

 

David Newton		Mary Steward in "Womanhood"		Steve Newman with Greg Georgiades and Ashish Joshi