Behind the scenes of Cula Mzansi 2015
JOBURG - Gauteng Opera has moved from Pretoria to Johannesburg and has already made its mark in the City of Gold.
The company – formerly known as The Black Tie Ensemble – has not only changed its venue, but its name, too.
Now calling the corner of Miriam Makeba and Anderson Street in Johannesburg CBD its new home, the company has decided to allow the world a sneak peak at what rehearsals look like before their large-scale performances commence.
The company will perform two large opera festivals over the course of the year.
The next festival which is still in its production phase and will soon be open to the public for bookings, is the annual <ct:Italic>Cula Mzansi<ct:> festival.
Gauteng Opera took City Buzz behind the scenes of three of the productions which will be part of the festival, namely Words from a broken string, Hani and Tronkvoel.
Recurring themes throughout the festival are books and history, which the directors and producers have divulged, will make for some pretty interesting stage sets.
“We wanted you to come and share in a day of our lives,” said Marcus Desando, director of Words from a broken string and Gauteng Opera member.
“More than anything else we wanted the people who know us, and those who don’t, to just get a sense of what we do every day.”
The opera singers performed a number of their group and solo acts for <ct:Italic>City Buzz<ct:>, a true testament to the talent that comes from South Africa.
The members of Gauteng Opera come from all around South Africa, bringing together expertise in directing, producing, acting, and most importantly, opera singing to create one of the leading opera companies in the country.
As they prepare for the opening of Cula Mzansi in August, they will put in countless hours of rehearsal time to perfect every stage movement and every note.
Cula Mzansi will run from 7 August to 9 August.
Details: www.gautengopera.org
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