DRAMA

MCGIBBON LEAVES

Murray McGibbon, director of drama for the Playhouse Company, has resigned to take up an appointment as visiting professor of theatre at the University of Indiana, USA, where he will teach acting, directing and theatre management to graduate students.

He has been employed by the Playhouse Company since 1987, originally as manager of the Loft Theatre Company, and has produced more than 200 produc-tions in Durban. Among the 40 major shows he has directed for the Playhouse company are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, the Dream, Peter Pan, Equus, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, Master Harold... and the Boys, Oliver and the recent Agnes of God.

The invitation from Indiana prompted a change which he feels is beneficial to his existence as a creative artist and he intends to return to South Africa next year in May.

INITIATIVES

Murray has been responsible for several initiatives at the Playhouse Company, including The Playhouse Cookbook, the Loft Schools Company, the Playhouse Puppet Company and the successful Pay What You Can scheme.

The 1989 winner of the SAA Young Artist Award, he has received several local and national Vita nominations and was the winner of the KZN best director award in 1994. Last year he directed A Night to Remember at the Playhouse, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.

ANIMAL FARM

Animal Farm

, directed by James Parker, can be seen at the Courtyard Theatre, Technikon Natal, until August 3. Booking through Computicket or at the door. Phone 204-2532.

MINERVA CHILDREN

From the Playhouse Company's New South African play series comes The Minerva Children which runs in the Sanlam Loft at the Playhouse from August 17 to September 8.

Katherine Bruce, Paul Turner and Nathi Kunene feature in director Garth Anderson's new play for young people which tells the story of a young brother and sister who are washed up on the beach when the ship they're sailing in is shipwrecked on Durban's Bluff.

An elderly Zulu man discovers them, takes them into his camp and feeds them. While they are recovering from their ordeal, he attempts to communicate with them by recounting a Zulu legend.

The children then reciprocate by telling him an English folk tale.

Garth and his cast use mime, song, dance and extensive audience partici-pation in the presentation of the play.

Using fact as a springboard, The Minerva Children is intended as the perfect way in which to launch young-sters into a world of fantasy and excite-ment by drawing on the rich traditions of both Zulu and English story-telling.

PLAYWRIGHT'S FESTIVAL

A New Playwright's Festival will be held at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from August 5 to 10 to encourage students to write and present their own plays.

Also on the University of Natal campus, the Square Space Theatre is the venue for African Story Theatre from August 26 to September 7. Nerissa Phillips, the director, has compiled African Story Theatre from various collections of African myths and legends.

For more information or booking enquiries phone Clare Hull on 260-3134.

RAINBOW

In the Playhouse's Sanlam Loft until August 3 you can catch the final perfor-mances of Rainbow, the Playhouse Puppet Company's innovative movement and puppet drama.

A departure from the young Company's educational and children's show, Rainbow is designed by Pieter Court and incorporates mime, circus, acrobatics, music and puppetry.

BEST OF THE FEST

BAT Drama co-ordinator, Bheki Mkhwane, is co-ordinating a mini-festival of some of the top KZN- based productions which went to the Grahams-town Festival. This will run in the BAT Hall at the BAT Centre from August 27 to September 1.

For details phone Bheki on 32-04.

HILTON THEATRE

If you live anywhere near the Hilton College Theatre, don't miss the superb play Master Class by Terrence McNally directed by Mark Graham which runs there from August 1 to 3 at 20h00 with a matinŠe at 17h00 on August 3.