Nature loving thespian on stage soon
DOUGLASDALE- Actor, playwright, director and Douglasdale resident, Robert Fridjhon is busy at work on his new play A load of bull, but there's more to this nature- loving thespian than meets the eye.
Fridjhon was born and bred in Johannesburg but spent much of his adolescence at boarding school in KwaZulu-Natal. His foray into theatre came very naturally because his father is prolific South African actor, Anthony Fridjhon.
While theatre has always held a special place in Fridjhon’s heart, one of his biggest loves is wildlife.
“I wanted to be a game ranger,” Fridjhon said. “Except that acting came more naturally to me.”
Determined not to sacrifice this love completely, six years ago Fridjhon took a break from acting to become a volunteer at the wildlife rehabilitation centre, FreeMe. At the centre he learnt an incredible amount about animals while doing lots of hands-on hard work.
Fridjhon said, “I went back to the theatre with more focus. I now also always donate a portion of my salary from any play to FreeMe or other animal welfare organisations.”
Fridjhon is passionate about acting and maintains that with hard work and discipline one can make a very good living from it. “Acting can be rewarding, but you have to be prepared to work hard and you also have to be able to do lots of different things like writing, directing and producing in addition to acting.”
Fridjhon can next be seen acting alongside Alan Committie in A load of bull starting at the Studio Theatre at Montecasino on 12 March.
He describes the play as an interactive session for couples where girlfriends and wives can learn about a sport that so often confounds them, and boyfriends and husbands can watch a play about a subject they enjoy.
“About half the play is scripted and the rest is improvisation so the play could go anywhere on any given night,” Fridjhon said.
He joked, “We might even bring in screens to broadcast the match during the Saturday afternoon performances.”
