By BRUCE DENNILL
Sue Diepeveen – actress, writer, director and producer and owner of the Drama Factory in Somerset West – stars as Sally Burkett in a new run of her successful one-woman comedy Ms B-haved at Theatre Arts in Cape Town.
In the lead-up to a new production, how do you prepare:
– Physically…
I try to stay as supple as I can and to this end I find pilates very helpful, as my shows tend to be fairly physical. When I have a sense of the character, I work to get the essence across and in the case of Ms B-haved, it is subtle, as I think she is very much like me. The fun is finding the shapes and nuances of the characters she embellishes throughout her story and in this show the Miss Wellman character was a heap of fun to find.
– Mentally…
Mentally, it’s about trying to stay as true to the script and the careful direction as possible, just running the lines over and over so that when you get back onto the floor they are there. Often the cue for the actor is in the action, so it is a case of making sure that all the moving parts are working together. This is a very personal show for me as I taught for many, many years and I feel connected to Sally Burkett, so keeping to the intent that we have created and not letting one’s emotions run away is the key. As the text lands with the audience, the job is to keep on the path that has been cultivated. A lot of time was spent during rehearsal to sift out what the intention of the piece is.
– …and emotionally?
As I am so connected to the piece, it has been gratifying to see the effect that it has on the audience. I try to stay as calm as possible prior to a run and keep my energy for the stage. It is important to stay on the path and not allow yourself to get swept up by the audience reaction. My hope is that those who see it go away with some food for thought.
What is the single most influential performance you’ve ever seen – the one that made you feel: “This is what I want to do with my life!”?
Oh, I remember that well – Sharleen Surtie-Richards in Hello and Goodbye (I think it was in 1985). Wow – I remember being blown away! We were also lucky enough to have PACT come to our school with productions and that made an impact on me for sure. I remember being captivated as a young woman with all things theatre and always count myself lucky that my parents supported this mad notion to be an actor.
What is your favourite aspect of the industry – be it specific people, parts of the production process, particular venues/locations or something else?
I think something that is visceral is witnessing the wonder that young children have when they experience theatre – if you could bottle that joy you would be rich! I really love creating new work and a production that I really loved was The Emperor’s New Clothes, which I wrote, directed and produced. It was a South African version of the classic and all the characters were played by Jessie Diepeveen and Henu Baden, who had the audience int he palms of their hands. We ran it for about two years all over the country in English and Afrikaans and every time the audience response to the show was just a complete delight! I am so fortunate to be pretty ensconced in the theatre industry and I think the immediacy of being in front of an audience is magical. I own a little theatre and what strikes me is the grounded nature of actors and the genuine care and kindness. I feel like actors want other actors to succeed which is a beautiful thing. The thing is, no one wants to have an ugly baby, and when you are creating theatre there are people that will help you to make sure that your baby is treated with care and dignity. Not every show can be a hit show, but getting up there and putting yourself on the line speaks volumes too.
What is an aspect of the industry that you feel could be improved (even if that’s only an idealistic wish)?
My fervent wish is that the artists who are out there putting in the effort can get paid properly and that the government would support our work in a more comprehensive manner. I wish the process was smoother with regards to getting funding, although I do understand that the pot is not unlimited. I think more could be done to incentivise private businesses to offer funding opportunities, but it has to work for them too. The Afrikaans festival circuit has great results and support and I wish that could be expanded on even more.
What has been your scariest onstage/on set moment so far (anything from forgetting words or cues to accidents or other unforeseen events)?
Forgetting words is every actor’s nightmare and I have had a few of those in my time….horrid feeling! I think the scariest moment for me on stage was not so long ago at the State Theatre. We were running an immersive piece called Prooi/Prey and a man stood up and almost threw his beer at me while shouting! I was pretty rattled, I thought he may try to punch me! I had to keep my cool, but it was difficult – especially as the nature of the piece is so dark and the character a world apart form my natural self.
Tell us about your current production, and what makes your character interesting to play?
The current show was written after I had been asked to speak at a teacher’s conference a few years ago and I decided to do a little skit about teaching, which they really loved. I kept being asked to do it again and realised that there is a lot of material in this environment. I spent a great deal of time researching and drew on my own time as a curriculum teacher which is different to studio teaching. It felt good to explore the world of education, but I soon realised that while it may only be teacher’s in the classroom, parents, caregivers and grandparents are all teachers. In fact, we are all teachers in some way. There is a responsibility that comes with being in the classroom, though, that is unmatched and I feel quite strongly that as a society we owe our educators a great deal! I also looked at what social media has brought to the party and how ‘cancel culture’ is a real thing and we are all self censoring now as we live in fear of being called out for something or other. Even writing this has me second guessing if it can be misconstrued in some way! I am aware that without our marvellous teachers who stepped up in a spectacular fashion we would likely not have made it through Covid. Teachers have had to be a step ahead and with things like AI in the mix this is no mean feat. As younger teachers struggling to keep up with the latest games and trend can you imagine how the old guard manage! So that is why I love the character of Sally Burkett: she is the teacher in the trenches trying her best until the rug gets ripped out from under her.