“pARTicipate” = “Art” + “Getting involved”
Develop the conversation around arts and culture. Give artists their due.
Comments and commissions:
participatecomment@gmail.com
Theatre Review: Barber Shop Chronicles – Sharp Observations, Or Fades And Feelings
By BRUCE DENNILL Barber Shop Chronicles / Directed by Sibusiso Mamba / John Kani Theatre, Market Theatre, Newtown, Johannesburg Barber shops are generally places of intimacy – physically speaking, in that they are often smallish rooms containing...
Theatre Interview: Ashley Dowds – Circle Song, Or Surrounded By Story
By BRUCE DENNILL Circle Song, written and performed by Ashley Dowds and directed by Caroline Calburn is a story about re-membering: Two Irishmen leave the shore of Northern Ireland to search for a new sense of belonging; a letter written back in 1864 is...
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...
Travel: Jewels Of The Nile, Or Word To The World’s Mother
By KEITH BAIN “Yalla, Family, yalla,” said Medhat Youssef, not for the first time that morning. It had been an early start and although this was only day two of our tour around the country, our Egyptologist-cum-chaperone’s words were already a familiar...
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.
Theatre Review: Sarajevo – Friendship And Forboding, Or My City Of Ruins
By BRUCE DENNILL Sarajevo / Directed by Thorsten Wedekind / Theatre On The Square, Sandton, Johannesburg A specific set of circumstances is needed to give the simple mention of a city’s name profound emotional impact. Sadly for Bosnia, the...
Theatre Review: Chicago – Death And Dames, Or Choreographed Charisma
By BRUCE DENNILL Chicago / Resident director: Darren Greeff / Teatro, Montecasino, Fourways Now in its fourth South African iteration, Chicago has not faded in any of the aspects that make it a high-impact stage musical – Fred Ebb and John...
Theatre Review: Noises Off – (Re)Setting The Scene, Or Door-To-Door Service
By BRUCE DENNILL Noises Off / Directed by Chris Weare / Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre, Fourways, Johannesburg The technical demands of a well-written farce, in which an entire ensemble needs to act more or less as a single flowing,...
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















