Dead Computer

Hello World by Design blog readers,

     Did you know computers are very expensive here in South Africa? I had the opportunity to find out when my tried and true Sony Vaio laptop expired. Shame. To sum it up, I spent hundreds of Rand trying to revive it, and it is a total loss. This accounts for the hiatus in my blogging. I am shopping for a replacement computer.

I just loved the electrical engineer's collection of computer parts and work tables in the offices where I tried to have my computer revived. The fellow in the picture managed to save the information from my hard drive.

     I have been extremely busy with teaching two design classes at the University of Pretoria and traveling to Cape Town to interview stage managers, production managers and directors from the Artscape Theatre to the Spier Winery amphitheatre. Photos and reports should come soon. But in the meantime I am also designing a show at the University of the Witwatersrand, assisting on the lighting ( and doing some scene painting, too) for Winnie the Opera--at the Pretoria State Theatre, doing a scenic art workshop at the Market Theatre centered around sculptural destruction and ageing...and designing two shows for University of Pretoria.

     The 1,155 seat open-air Spier Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch near Cape Town was the site of a fine evening of Afrikaans Cabaret. The performance was In Villiers de Villiers and Amanda Strydom with Music Director Janine Neethling. This outdoor venue has become a sought-after venue for productions ranging from opera to drama since its inception some years ago. It is also the primary venue for Spier's annual Summer Festival, which runs from November to March. This musical evening was part of the Woordfees Festival week. I specifically interviewed Spier Amphitheatre's world-class Stage Manager Ronel Jordaan whose stage management skills have taken her on Broadway shows through most of Asia and the UK as well as South Africa. 

    Wednesday, March 16th I took nearly 30 UP students,UPArts staff and faculty to the Cirque Du Soleil's venue in Johannesburg for a much sought after backstage tour.  A full report will follow in another blogpost but here's a teaser.



Backstage Tour of Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco in Johannesburg at the Coca-Cola Dome.



     Saturday, March 26th I provided a huge all-day lighting workshop at University of Pretoria courtesy of Johnny Heinemann and his UPArts colleagues and Ian Blair of Prosound, the company that provided all of the ETC lighting equipment and EOS and ION lighting boards. We had nearly 50 participants including professional designers, faculty and students.We also had two professional Tango dancers who brought the rhythms of the dance into our bodies so we could design and light two Tangoes in the afternoon.



Prosound (http://www.prosound.co.za/) provided ETC lighting equipment for a huge lighting workshop at the University of Pretoria March 26. Heidi Hoffer directed the participants through many hands-on lighting applications including accessories, lens sizes and lighting two competitive Tangoes.