“pARTicipate” = “Art” + “Getting involved”
Develop the conversation around arts and culture. Give artists their due.
Comments and commissions:
participatecomment@gmail.com
Ballet Review: The Nutcracker – Growing Glamour, Or Sweets Dreams
By BRUCE DENNILL Cape Ballet Africa: The Nutcracker / Artistic Director: Debbie Turner / Teatro, Montecasino, Fourways One of the top three or four best-known ballets in the classical canon, The Nutcracker is, if not quite, to steal the sports...
Theatre Interview: Belinda Henwood – Sinbad The Sailor, Or Magnificently Malignant
By BRUCE DENNILL The 2025 KickstArt Christmas pantomime Sinbad the Sailor at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. Sinbad the Sailor is a riotous romp over the Seven Seas, in the company of the famous sailor Sinbad and his madcap crew and family. Kickstart...
In Memoriam: Sue Clarence – Friends And Folklore, Or People And Passion
By BRUCE DENNILL Sue Clarence, the founder and director of the Hilton Arts Festival, held at Hilton College in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands for over 30 years, passed away on 2 May this year, leaving all who had worked with her in the Hilton community and...
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: Wicked: For Good – For Better, Or A Lovely Two-Do
By BRUCE DENNILL Wicked: For Good / Directed by Jon M Chu / PG Feeling slightly less like a marketing campaign with a film added late on than the first Wicked movie did, this second act retains much that was good about the initial instalment – the...
Art Interview: Kwandiwe Dlwati – Going To Collage, Or Rising Stock
By BRUCE DENNILL In response to a national shortage of funding and resources in the creative sector, particularly for non-profit organisations and independent curators, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's Art Share Initiative strives to prevent the loss of...
Theatre Review: Lungs – Breathless And Brittle, Or Edgy Engagement
By BRUCE DENNILL Lungs / Directed by Bianca Amato / Studio, Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre, Fourways, Johannesburg Duncan Macmillan’s text-heavy two-hander has been around a while now – it was first staged in 2011 – but it hasn’t lost a...
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















