He performed in the show that sold out at 11 festivals across the country; he won the Standard Bank Ovation Encore Award, and is the artistic director of OddBody Theatre Collaborative.
Now Richard Antrobus returns to his hometown to reappear in the acclaimed show, Hats, an old Festival favourite.
He performed in the show that sold out at 11 festivals across the country; he won the Standard Bank Ovation Encore Award, and is the artistic director of OddBody Theatre Collaborative.
Now Richard Antrobus returns to his hometown to reappear in the acclaimed show, Hats, an old Festival favourite.
You can also expect to see him silhouetting the skyline on his stilts, as well as being trainer and director to the stilt-walkers now known as the OddBody Theatre Collaborative, bringing a carnivalesque feel to the streets of Grahamstown.
Antrobus’s energy is hard to ignore. It's reflected in his performances in the heartfelt and comic plays Hats and Beezlebub and apparently his talents trace back to his childhood days.
“Growing up, I was fond of gymnastics, climbing trees, rock climbing and trampolining,” Antrobus told Grocott's Mail via email. “At St Andrew’s College I discovered I could combine all this with my love for drama – it’s called Physical Theatre!”
This passion for physical theatre took him to Rhodes University, where he studied drama under Andrew Buckland and Gary Gordon, and performed with the First Physical Theatre Company. “I see myself as not so much an actor, but as a performer,” he said.
Seeing him do his bit on stilts, the performer in Antrobus becomes evident.
In 2010 Grahamstown’s rubbish dumps formed the backdrop to his performance and last year it was around town with the Phezulu Project Stilt Walkers.
To those from a small town like Grahamstown who want to make it big, Antrobus writes: “Dream big but be realistic. Be diverse in your abilities but offer something unique in your trade.” And of course it helps to don a cap of confidence.
Catch the OddBody Theatre Collaborative in action with free performances of Tshini Kwedini! on the Drostdy Lawns on 29 June as well as 2 and 3 July at 1pm. You can also expect to see them in the Festival parades on 7 and 8 July.
Don’t forget Hats either, at the St Andrew’s Hall on 30 June (10am); 1 July (12pm); 2 July (8.30pm); 4 July (2.30pm); 6 July (10am); 7 July (2.30pm) and 8 July (5pm).
