To “We the Audience” readers: the essay that follows, including the title, was in final draft form and ready for one last round of editing when the events that began with the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott unfolded in Charlotte. I held off on publishing for a few weeks for obvious reasons. I sincerely hope my use of the term “profiling” will not be seen as inappropriate, given the new … [Read more...]
Archives for 2016
South Africa’s Citizen Artists: Malcolm Purkey and Johannesburg, from Soweto to Hillbrow*
*This is the fourth and final essay in a series of “We the Audience” posts designed to introduce my readers to the citizen artists working in some of South Africa’s most challenged areas. [For a look at all four essays, start reading here.] Today’s essay focuses on Malcolm Purkey, who, of course, does not actually need an introduction. As a key figure in the anti-apartheid theatre scene in … [Read more...]
The Butterfly Art Project | Frygrond
*This is the third essay in a series of four “We the Audience” posts designed to introduce my readers to the citizen artists working in some of South Africa’s most challenged areas. Today’s essay focuses on Charlie Jansen and the Butterfly Art Project. Charlie is one of the participating artists in ArtUp’s “Sites of Passage: South Africa” project. My time in South Africa was filled with the … [Read more...]
South Africa’s Citizen Artists: Mbovu Malinga*
*This is the second essay in a series of four “We the Audience” posts designed to introduce my readers to the citizen artists working in some of South Africa’s most challenged areas. Today’s essay focuses on Mbovu Malinga, an arts-and-development consultant and free-lance artist, and his work with a variety of Cape Town NGO’s. Mbovu is one of the participating artists in ArtUp’s “Sites of Passage: … [Read more...]
Sites of Passage: Citizen Artists and Citizen Audiences in South Africa
I’ve been away from this blog for several months now, engaged in a variety of the usual pursuits (teaching, lecturing, directing, producing, playwriting) but also traveling to South Africa on a research expedition. I’m back to write about South Africa—an eye-and-heart-opening adventure that took me from Cape Town to Johannesburg to interview an array of inspiring artists who use their skills to … [Read more...]