Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 19:00 EET (GMT +02:00)
SOUTH AFRICA
Director: Fred Abrahamse / Africa de Sud
Actor: Cătălin Vieru
Episode: Day 7, Story 2
about the Director
Fred Abrahamse
Fred Abrahamse graduated from University of Cape Town Drama School. He started his career at the legendary People’s Space Theatre, was a founding member of Troupe Theatre Company and served for five years as Artistic Director of the Baxter Theatre. In 2010 he teamed up with Marcel Meyer to form the independent theatre company – Abrahamse and Meyer Productions.
As a well-respected director, producer and designer Fred’s theatre involvement spans some 42 years and over 150 productions including dramas, operas, musicals, young people’s theatre, cabaret and several community theatre projects. Of his productions at least 40 have involved bringing new South African works to the stage. Theatre credits include Shakespeare’s Richard III (National Arts Festival, Artscape Theatre Centre, The Market Theatre and the International Shakespeare Festival in Romania), Romeo and Juliet (Maynardville), Much Ado About Nothing (Maynardville Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Maynardville) and The Handspring Puppet Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Baxter, National Arts Festival and Market Theatre), Othello (Maynardville), Hamlet (National Arts Festival, Artscape Theatre, Theatre On The Bay, Montecasino Theatre, Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival USA and the International Shakespeare Festival in Romania), Macbeth (Theatre On The Bay, Montecasino Theatre and the International Shakespeare Festival in Romania); Steven Berkoff’s Decadence (South African premiere), Greek and The Secret Love Life of Ophelia (South African premiere); The South African premiere of Joe Calarco’s Shakespeare’s R&J (National Arts Festival/ Fugard Theatre), The South African premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, Noël Coward’s Private Lives, David Hare’s The Vertical Hour and Yukio Mishima’s The Lady Aoi; Tennessee Williams’ productions include The Glass Menagerie, Kingdom of Earth, The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, Night of the Iguana (USA), Green Eyes, Talk to Me Like The Rain, Perfect Analysis Given By A Parrot, The Remarkable Rooming-House of Mme. LeMonde and Stairs to the Roof (St. Louis USA – for which he received a Theatre Circle Awards nomination as Best Director); Eugene O’Neil’s Desire Under The Elms ((National Arts Festival, Baxter Theatre, Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival USA, Triad Stage North Carolina USA, Drexel Theatre Philadelphia USA); District Six – The Musical (World premiere), Angels in America (South African Premiere), The Normal Heart, Bouncers, Grease, Shirley Valentine, Steel Magnolias (South African premiere), Juno and the Paycock, Beautiful Thing (South African premiere), Return to the Forbidden Planet (South African premiere), Shopping and F**king; Charl Johan Lingenfelder’s Follies 3:16, ABBA(Toir) and DISCOvery.
With Marcel Meyer, Fred Abrahamse has co-written and directed the acclaimed musicals In Briefs and Bangbroek Mountain as well as eight original Children’s musicals.
Opera credits include the World Premiere of Roelof Temmingh’s safari opera Sacred Bones and a staged version of Mozart’s Requiem for Cape Town Opera.
Fred has also been nominated for and won numerous theatre awards for his direction and design.
During lockdown, Fred has been writing, adapting and collaborating on several new theatre productions for late 2021 and 2022.
about the actor
Cătălin Vieru
Graduate of “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Faculty of Theater and Television, Romanian Acting Department, Miklos Bacs Class, class of 2011, Catalin Vieru became an actor of the National Theater “Marin Sorescu” in 2012.
His acting earnestness and, very often, his capacity of performing chameleonic characters consider him a precious “asset” within the artistic troup.
In Craiova he played numerous roles in theatre such as Adrian, Francisco – „O furtună” după W. Shakespeare, director Silviu Purcărete, Officer – „The Apocalypse” after Shakespeare, director Janusz Wisniewski, Jammie – „HOT L Baltimore”by Lanford Wilson, director Peter Schneider, Rhinocer Head – „Rhinoceros” by Eugène Ionesco, director Robert Wilson, Cassius – „Iulius Caesar” – by W. Shakespeare, director Peter Schneider, Rakitin– „A month in the country”– by Ivan Turgenev, Tom- „Bang”– by Marius von Mayenburg, director Theodor Cristian Popescu, Tom- „Radio”– by Eric Bogosian, director Bobi Pricop, Horsewoman/ Lysander- „Athens by night” after A midsummer night’s dream& Timon of Athens by W.Shakespeare, director Charles Chemin.
The choreographic skills complete successfully his artistic profile and this has been already noticed in theater plays as Operation Mars by Alexa Bacanu.
For the role Hlestakov in „The Government Inspector” by N.V. Gogol staged at the ,,Anton Pann” Theater Rm. Vâlcea he has been nominated under the Debut Section at the UNITER Awards, 2012
