“pARTicipate” = “Art” + “Getting involved”
Develop the conversation around arts and culture. Give artists their due.
Comments and commissions:
participatecomment@gmail.com
Book Reviews: Celebrate Gourmets Or Five For Fooding
By LISA WITEPSKI & BRUCE DENNILL The Guilt-Free Gourmet by Jordan & Jessica Bourke Celebrate with Lorna Maseko Food Stories by Lebo and Tebo Ndala Five Give Up The Booze by Bruno Vincent Having spent a December with a niece and nephew who...
Book Extract: Maye! Maye! – Market Value, Or City Connections
Maye! Maye!: The History And Heritage Of The Kwa Mai Mai Market by Sipho Sithole lets the reader into the world of migrant workers and how they have used their culture and heritage to reimagine and create a new socio-economic order through the production of...
Opinion: Constant Connection, Or The Elephant In The Algorithm
By DAVID BATZOFIN We are living in the most connected age in human history — and yet, paradoxically, it often feels like we have never been more disconnected. Mobile phones, WhatsApp and the internet allow us to access information instantaneously,...
Amused Bouche: The Greenhouse, Sandton, Johannesburg
By BRUCE DENNILL The Greenhouse, Sandton, Johannesburg. Carte: This is a menu that goes very long on drink options - there are 11 types of tequila alone - which is in keeping with the venue's general dining-meets-nightlife atmosphere (though they're now open...
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.
Film Review: Avatar – Fire And Ash, Or Thinking Inside The Box
By BRUCE DENNILL Avatar: Fire And Ash / Directed by James Cameron / PGVL At 197 minutes, it’s clear that one of director James Cameron’s goals in revealing the ongoing Avatar saga (there are apparently two more instalments after this film, which...
Film Interview: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Or Fancy Flight
The tenth biggest box office hit of 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premiered on Showmax on Wednesday, 17 December. The final instalment in the franchise sends Ethan Hunt (four-time Oscar nominee Tom Cruise) after The Entity, a rogue AI...
Theatre Review: First Love – Deficient Idyll, Or From Loss To Languor
By BRUCE DENNILL First Love / Directed by Qondiswa James / POPArt Theatre, Greenside, Johannesburg Samuel Beckett’s nihilistic tendencies mean that this play’s protagonist being a tramp who enjoys hanging around in cemeteries feels about right....
TESTIMONIALS
“Funny, thought-provoking, entertaining, and important…the link to pARTicipate is one email I look forward to finding in my inbox.” www.tonypark.net
“When I open pARTicipate, I enjoy the opportunity to find out about art across such a range of disciplines and creative endeavours. It uplifts, inspires and gets me connected to so many local voices.”
“Bruce and pARTicipate support the entertainment industry. As the foremost organisation representing actors and being the voice for and the rights for actors, his assistance and support of SAGA’s activism has highlighted the plight of actors and the injustice they endure.” www.saguildofactors.co.za
“pARTicipate is the only South African culture site that spreads its considerable net far and wide across all of the arts – music, theatre, writing, film and more. And under the steady hand of of its critic-in-chief Bruce Dennill, there is a certainty of honest appraisal and enthusiastic reporting on the best of the creative output of our citizens.” www.stevenboykeysidley.com
“pARTicipate contributes significantly to the dwindling arts coverage space in South Africa and provides a much-needed voice to local artists across all genres. Bruce Dennill has a deep understanding of and appreciation for originating new work in a South African context. If you’re looking for content that is relevant, well-researched and that will (often!) put a smile on your face, hit the subscribe button!” www.vrtheatrical.com
“Bruce Dennill is an arts critic who’s opinion is highly valued in the world of live performance and entertainment in South Africa. Having reviewed my work often, Bruce’s gaze is honest, encouraging and always refreshing, keeping up with theatrical trends and showing a genuine love and curiosity for live performance. A show is not complete without his signature review, be it a positive or negative one – he offers a necessary eye and discerning opinion to our industry.” www.fortunecookietheatre.com














