Theatre Directing and Devising
Hearts Hotel
National Arts Festival / 969 Festival / Red Roof Theatre
Devised by James Cuningham with Binnie Christie, Liezl De Kock, Toni Morkel, Christelle Van Graan, Bernice Myburg.
Vicki and her mother and daughter are forced to flee their home and journey to a land as hostile as it's weather. A physical theatre story of displacement, desire and a deadly scorpion.
"Hearts Hotel is a brave production... deliciously bleak... it vibrates with profound visual metaphor" Cue Newspaper, National Arts Festival review
"It's a work that brings together the rich and simple idea of play in such provocative ways it will singe your heart and leave you aching for more. You will feel like a child being exposed to great classics for the first time... a work of such creative magnitude it will shift your values... You will be swept away by the humble and unequivocal generosity of magic." Robyn Sassen, 969 Festival review
Performance Gallery
Rehearsal Gallery
Black and Blue
Fortune Cookie Theatre Company
Performed by Sylvaine Strike and Atandwa Kani / Danny Mooi
National Arts Festival / Market Theatre / Theatre on the Square
Baxter Theatre
"Black and Blue is a marvelous and accessible theatrical treasure. It will steal your heart and captivate your mind. Strike captures one's heart with her quiet performance... Mooi is a revelation to watch. I can think of no other way to describe this production than as a little masterpiece." Peter Tromp, Cape Times
"Black and Blue deserves to be seen, simplicity meets intricacy in what can easily be described as a tour de force" Rafiek Mammom, Cape Argus
"Exquisitely goofy, immaculately acted, delicately nuanced, unfolds like a flower..." Clive Lawrence, Cue
"Stunningly inventive" Adrienne Sichel, The Star
"If you want to show someone the magic of live theatre, this is it. When something is this perfect, everything that is so powerful about live theatre is unleashed and all you have to do is be there. This is the kind of production where you want to stop people in the street and tell them to go. It’s accessible, tickles all your senses and reminds you why storytelling is such an invigorating experience as it unlocks hidden memories, builds new ones and takes you to a place which nourishes your imagination. That’s sheer bliss." Diane De Beer, What's On, Johannesburg
2004
2014
Doubt, a Parable
Pulizter Prize-winning play by Patrick Shanley
Theatre on the Square / Durban Playhouse / Hilton Arts Festival
Directed by James Cuningham
Performed by Fiona Ramsey, James Alexander / James MacEwan, Janna Ramos-Violante, Faniswa Yisa / Mwenya Kabwe
"Scintillating... unforgettable... the subtlety of Cuningham's direction, together with the collaborative energies of the cast is devastating. A cleanly composed, terrifying piece of muscular, unpretentious theatre". Robyn Sassen, Arts at Large
"Cuningham applies a cracking pace to replicate the tornado that is unleashed once Sister Aloysius decides to pursue what she has determined is the moral way... a brilliantly crafted work... one that gets your heart and mind running on speed." Diane de Beer, The Star
"The action on stage has you constantly gripped. Director James Cuningham has the emotions and the pace pitched perfectly and there isn't a moment when you're not concentrating on the nuances of the words and interactions". Lesley Stones, Daily Maverick
"Cuningham's direction is a notable strength of the piece. He strips down every set piece to it's bare essentials, including getting his actors to act less and somehow convey more." Bruce Dennill, Participate
"...bought vividly to life by Cuningham's sensitive and probing direction. Remarkable and absorbing, splendidly executed." Peter Feldman, 48 Hours review
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Winner: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress (Naledi Awards)
Nominee: Best Production, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress (Naledi Awards)
Kaput
National Arts Festival / 969 Festival / Hilton Arts Festival
Devised and directed by James Cuningham
with Helen Iskander, Taryn Bennet and Dorian Burstein.
2 brothers in a small Mediterranean village are caught up in a cycle of war and military occupation. A tragic-comic story of love, war and sardines.
"A special piece of theatre that will move you, amuse you and impress you." Artsmart review
"Director James Cuningham has pulled together puppetry and pitch perfect performance with some fake moustaches and a variety of story-telling techniques to produce a work that is without a doubt one of the highlights of the Festival. It will make you laugh, it will stun you into silent sadness, it will warm your heart, but most importantly, it will make you ecstatically glad that you bought a ticket." Marie Straub, Media Update review
"It is theatre having fun. Insouciance is in the pastiche of theatrical means director James Cuningham uses to tell the tale, this nonchalant cobbling together of mediums to set the scene, giving a knowing nod to the masters of theatre who forever hover somewhere up in the wings." Steve Kretzmann, The Critter review
"Superb... mesmerizing... a MUST see!" Artsmart review
The Famished Road
Fresco Theatre Company / Adapted from the Booker Prize-winning novel by Ben Okri
Directed by Helen Iskander and James Cuningham
National Arts Festival Main Programme / Aardklop Kunstefees / Hilton Arts Festival / KKNK Kunstefees
"This production is a rich, multicoloured tapestry, possessing an otherworldly feel... The play’s triumph is in its recreation of the spirit realm. Using animist sounds, puppets, surreal lighting and, most importantly, a forceful imagination, the actors create a voodoo ambience that reciprocates Okri’s vivid imagination... ebulliently executed... The Famished Road is a fantastic production... a triumph."
The Mail and Guardian
"Fresco Theatre's impressive production translates Okri's winning novel into magical theatre"
Caroline Smart, Artsmart
"...this subtropical dream world evokes The Dark Crystal meets Alice in Wonderland in Africa. Fresco Theatre has given birth to a child that effectively conjures a phantasmagorical aesthetic, while passing subtle critiques on African social and political realities. It is exquisitely realised and is likely to touch you to the core... This work steeped in mythology and miracles can truly – and literally – be dubbed a triumph of the human spirit." Christina Kennedy, Cue
