Theatre Benevolend Fund: Comedy & Musical Fundraiser
Sat Oct 22, 20:30 - Sat Oct 22, 22:45
The Galloway Theatre
ABOUT
Following numerous successful completed productions in 2022 - Compass Rose Collective is proud to present our latest iteration of the ongoing Comedy Cares series. The series is devoted to raising awareness and funds for a charity operating within the surrounding community. The last line-up being in aid of Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust.
This time round we give you the Theatrical Variety Extravaganza, in aid of the Theatre Benevolent Fund.
Founded in 1964, the TBF seeks to offer financial aid to performing arts professionals who are no longer able to work due to illness or ill health. The TBF also supports unforeseen healthcare costs that are not covered by healthcare schemes such as organ & bone marrow transplants, cancer treatment, hip replacements, cochlear transplants and expensive medication for chronic diseases. Their long-term goal is to start a care-home for retired performing arts professionals.
Fittingly, this line-up consists of not only comics but thespians, musicians and showbiz professionals with expertise both on and backstage.
The cast:
Kate Normington is a South African actress, singer, and songwriter. Normington first rose to national prominence playing Sister Mary Amnesia in the Alhambra Theatre's production of Nunsense in 1987, and has appeared on the West End and South African stage, and in local and international film and television productions.
Tracy Klass has been performing stand up comedy since her arrival in Cape Town in 1999. Tracy has co-starred in two full length shows with fellow comedienne Mel Jones – “Doing it for the Money” and the sequel at Grand West’s Roxy Revue Bar, “Still Doing It”. Tracy takes an irreverent look at what women find funny – themselves. In July 2011 Tracey appeared in her first full length stand up show – Klass Struggle which ran at On Broadway for three weeks, the show ran at Theatre on the Square in Johannesburg for 3 weeks in February 2012 to great reviews.
New to the comedy scene, Nazreen Bester is a qualified actress. Nazreen was a semi-finalist of the 2022 Jive Comedy Competition and has since been invited to perform on some of the biggest stages in Cape Town. When she’s not doing comedy, Nazreen enjoys teaching the next generation.
Martin Davis is one of most popular British Stand-up comedians who has made appearances all over the world. He has performed in Singapore, Dubai, Holland, Belgium, Jakarta and South Africa. His South African gigs of his one man show in Grahamstown and Ratanga Junction were quickly sold out. In Durban and in Cape Town he had comedy acts at The Cape Town Festival, The Smirnoff Mule Comedy Festival and the South Africa Comedy Festival. However Martin's talents don’t stop on stage. With several years of acting experience behind him, he has appeared in BBC television productions and a variety of foreign adverts and has numerous private and corporate clients throughout the world.
Art musician, art music composer, orchestrator, pianist and cellist, Wesley Wolhuter studied composition and orchestration under Peter Klatzow and Hendrik Hofmeyr, piano with Franklin Larey and cello with Marian Lewin at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town. Wesley's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra received its world premiere by the Johannesburg Philharmonic Academy Orchestra in collaboration with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. One of his career highlights was performing in the Madame Zingara Celebration Tour from 2015 to 2016.
Nicola Date and Eugene Mathews are included in the already star-studded lineup. Hailing from Johannesburg, Nicola is a jack of all trades and lover of creative exploration. Her extensive experience spans events, theatre performance, design, PR, and copywriting. Nicola is the co-founder of Compass Rose Collection with co-owner Heine J.van As and is content production manager for a digital marketing company. As a trained actress, Nicola loves performic as a comic and MC at various events.
Eugene Mathews is the first openly gay Capetonian stand-up comedian in South Africa, who's also a driving instructor and an ambassador for MCHCT. Eugene has shared the stage and screen with fellow comedy legends, including Soli Philander. His one man show, Revenge Of the Gina, has been met with rave reviews.
To round things off, you can expect a performance by Waterfront Theatre School's magical students, featured vocals by multi-talented comic and journalist Saya Pierce-Jones, and a guest cameo by Heine J. van As.
This star-studded production will take place at the Galloway Theatre in the Waterfront, home of the Waterfront Theatre School on Saturday 22 October at 8:30pm.