once upon a time

2016

A few of the main successes of this year include the creation, development and staging of a new show called How Stories Began which made its debut at the Masque Theatre in the July school holidays as well as at the Cape Town Fringe festival; the re-casting and development of The Whale Show; Hoerikwaggo; River Of Life and Butterfly Dreams (aka Metamorphosis); and a successful drama programme with youths from Ithemba Labantu. JTC was also again part of the Muizenberg Festival this year with a 1-day workshop with children from underprivileged areas through the Zandvlei Trust, ASSITEJ SA and Hand in Hand Creatives and participation in the Carnival Parade.

2015

Jungle Theatre Company (JTC) participated in theatre festivals including Zabalaza Festival and Family Season this year and performed the first show of the inaugural Cape Town Fringe Festival, for which a new production !Kai – A Little Death was premiered.  Outreach performances included a continuation of the Twinnings Programme with stalwarts International Fund for Animal Welfare. A Dog’s Life opened on ASSITEJ World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People at the Baxter Theatre. Hoerikwaggo also toured schools. The focus of JTC’s work this year was its workshop programmes for children and young people. JTC developed programmes with new partners including the World Design Capital affiliated Princess Vlei Forum and Muizenberg Festival.

2014

A Dog’s Life run took place at the Baxter Theatre in March and was followed by a Hoerikwaggo schools tour during May and subsequent run at the Masque Theatre during the July school holidays. September and October saw the facilitation of numerous workshops as part of the Western Leopard Toad Environmental Education programme; the performing arts programme called The Birds’ Great Race in partnership with the Princess Vlei Forum; the eMzantsi schools programme and as part of the Muizenberg Festival. A new work !Kai – A Little Death was created and performed at the Cape Town Fringe Festival. At the end of the year Ntombi Mkhasibe and Candice Waries facilitated a total of 8 Mind & Body Explorers workshops in Cape Town high schools for the War Horse project coordinated by Assitej-SA.

2013

Jungle Theatre Company actors were treated like celebrities when they visited Soweto with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to perform new production Top Dog. River Of Life and Falling Moon/Vallende Maan enjoyed full houses with the ASSITEJ Family Venue at the National Arts Festival and baboons Knuckles and Smiley excited local audiences at Kalk Bay Theatre with Hoerikwaggo. Outreach workshops were implemented with Baphumlele Fountain of Hope; eMzantsi carnival and community building project and ASSITEJ SA.

2012

Jungle Jive and Father Sun journeyed to Overstrand communities. Metamorphosis (partly commissioned by the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees) and Vallende Maan enjoyed extensive touring at national, regional and local arts festivals as well as community events. River Of Life returned to the Masque Theatre thanks to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund. Extra mural workshops were offered at Eluxolweni Primary in Khayeltisha and

2011

Larger than life street theatre performance Metamorphosis was created by the Laduma Jungle trainees ahead of their graduation of a two-year theatre making for young audiences, which was funded by the NLDTF. The Whale Show (formerly Wondering Whale Watchers) returned for a run at Kalk Bay Theatre and Out The Box festival. Hoerikwaggo visited 20 schools during spring, thanks to the generous support of the GrandWest Cape Culture and Heritage Foundation. Jungle Theatre Company supported UNIMA (Puppetry) SA with facilitation skills for youth leaders.

2010

Laduma Jungle Training kicked off in January with 10 young actors joining a two-year programme funded by National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund. Jungle Theatre Company toured Indlovu People to Out The Box family festival; the National Arts Festival as part of Cape Town Edge and Theatre Arts Admin Collective’s Family Season. New project with City Of Cape Town (CoCT) Disaster Risk Management, Spirit of Water and Fire toured in informal settlements that are at high risk from fires and flooding.

2009

Shark Dreams enjoyed three tours in the metropolitan area with CoCT’s Youth Environmental Schools (YES) programme, AfriOceans Conservation Alliance and Save Our Seas Shark Centre. Jungle Theatre Company developed a drama component for the eMzantsi primary schools twinning programme, an intercultural carnival arts programme based in the Cape Peninsula. The Pick Up Litter Parade grew to involve new partners in its second year

2008

JTC won the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport’s ‘Most innovative community arts and culture project’ award. Moya The Air We Breathe was created for City of Cape Town’s YES programme along with 4 short plays to support the Smart Living Handbook. Workshopping began on Indlovu People commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Kiss Waste Goodbye, involving a schools large puppet making programme and Pick Up Litter Parade was implemented by Jungle Theatre Company and Junkanew

2007

Young actors were given the opportunity to train with Jungle Theatre Company as part of a training and job creation programme. Their first performance was for the Paraffin Association of Southern Africa. Moon In The Sky was workshopped under the direction of Jaqueline Dommisse and performed at Out The Box festival.

2006

A Dog’s Life created an opportunity to work on issues surrounding domestic animal welfare and the link between violence to animals and domestic violence.The comedy Scazi Love was created under the direction of Brent Palmer. Jungle Theatre Company supported eMzantsi Carnival with schools drama workshops in Ocean View and Masiphumelele. Hoerikwaggo became part of Table Mountain National Park’s Kids In Parks programme.

2005

Hoerikwaggo was created with the assistance of Table Mountain National Park and toured to schools. IFAW hosted The Whale Show as a twinning programme at the Masque Theatre and Hermanus Whale Festival.

2004

Jungle Theatre Company officially became Non Profit Organization and a Public Benefit Organization. The Whale Show toured the National Arts Festival, local schools and the Hermanus Whale Festival.

2003

Jungle Jive continued to tour and reached over 40 schools in the Cape Town Metropolitan area as a sub-autonomous project of Abalimi Bezekhaya.

2002

Jungle Jive a play about the importance of trees and urban greening was launched at the Manyanani Peace Park in Khayelitsha under the auspices of Abalimi Bezekhaya.

2001

Jungle Performance became Jungle Theatre Company and the environmental educational show The Whale Show was taken to Hermanus for the Whale Festival and went on to tour extensively in high schools and primary schools in the Western Cape. It was subsequently at the Plettenberg Bay Eco Festival and Knysna Arts Experience in 2002 and 2003.

2000

The one-man show Vinnie from Zok was created and performed thanks to funding from the Consulate General Netherlands. It was performed all over Cape Town and received a great response from audiences in townships: Gugulethu, Khayelitsha and Langa. The play was also taken to audiences in the Netherlands

1999

Your Story was created and performed through funding from National Arts Council (NAC). It involved three actors in an interactive exploration of South Africans’ history and toured townships around Cape Town.

1998

Jungle Performance was funded by NAC to create Gum Dance Boots about aliens who learn to gumboot dance. It toured streets and schools in Cape Town.

1996

Jungle Performance was funded by the Foundation for Creative Arts to create One Country, One Picnic, a street theatre piece about elements, which toured Johannesburg, Mpumalanga, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.

1995

Jungle Performance was formed and performed at freedom celebration carnivals in Johannesburg.