In 1969, a six-year-old Judy Ditchfield sat in a Civic Theatre dressing room as she awaited to take her first stage right entry into the world of the performing arts. Now, 55 years later, her career has seen her grace both TV and film in ways only she can dazzle an audience.
Ditchfield is currently preparing for her role in the magical Janice Honeyman pantomime, Beauty and the Beast which will enchant audiences from October 31 to December 22 on the Mandela Stage at Joburg Theatre.
“The baddies are always the best roles to play,” she said emphatically as she described how she would portray the role of the witch, Hecate Hex.
“Years back, I played the witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and adored it. I can’t wait to play Hecate Hex.”
She first worked on a Honeyman production back in 1986 – Tales from the Pleasure Palace at the opening of The Loft Theatre Company, in the same year. As she sees it, the pantomime allows her and Honeyman to make magic on stage again.
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Growing up in a creative home meant that this Westedene resident was also surrounded by the arts. Her mother was a musician, which naturally meant from the time she was little, she was involved in singing shows. She did have the ambition, while in high school, to be a heart surgeon, but she always knew she would rather be found tugging at heartstrings through the characters she played rather than operate on them.
For it was inevitable that she landed up in the arts. “It’s in our genes,” she exclaimed.
She explained that her mom was a resident pianist for African Theatres in Adderley Street Cape Town at the age of 16. “My dad’s family are Irish and many are musicians in Ireland. So it was inevitable, I suppose. My sister is an actress, my husband and one son, my two nieces, and my brother-in-law are all actors.”
Being on stage is something she adores, as she loves that you have to be fully present in the moment and she loves the immediacy of the audience. This energy just fills her soul and makes her feel at home. Though she never felt TV and film were her mediums, on the small screen viewers would have seen her portray Stella on Isidingo and Mrs Bananwitz on Ses Top La.
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“I generally would get small parts so never had time to really get my teeth into a role. TV, I mostly get comedy roles, but think I am a much better straight actor than a comedy one.”
Even with her reservations about the film and TV she is sure that one day, should she get a serious meaty role, it might just change how she sees the medium. Making sure not to reveal too much just as yet, she mentioned how, in 2023 she played a small part in a movie that had work with an amazing director and crew and she also did work in a Netflix TV series. “For the first time in 40 years as an actress, those two productions made me think I might change my mind about TV and film. I loved both productions, but theatre will always have my heart,” she said.
Through her character in this pantomime, she hopes it will show her versatility and that she is, among other traits, a reliable and consistent cast member. As a young actor, she was worried about proving herself and how she could show people what she could do. “The joy and wisdom of getting older is the knowledge that it’s not about you. Yes, you have to work hard and be the best you can, but what’s more important is the story, what value you bring to it.”
Her first-ever and debut stage performance was in the production of Madame Butterfly at six years old. Through her illustrious career, some of the stage productions she has been in are Paul Slabolepszy’s Boo to the Moon and Heel against the Head, 6 Dance Lessons in 6 Weeks at Theatre on the Square, Macabre, A Marry Little Christmas and Tiger Bay.
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