“I didn’t know there were blonde Greeks,” Athol Fugard says to me as I sit down in front of him to begin our interview.
“You can make yourself a blonde Greek,” I reply back, laughing a little nervously.
I often get asked if I am starstruck by any of the people I interview. Most of the time, not really, but yesterday, when I sat down with Athol Fugard, was one of those times that I was. The Tony Awards last night honoured the celebrated South African playwright with a Lifetime Achievement accolade. He has been writing and creating theatre for 55 years. His productions like Boesman and Lena, Sizwe Bansi is Dead, Master Harold…and The Boys, and of course Tsotsi, (the film version of which went on to win an Oscar) have given a voice to South African theatre both here and abroad.
Here he speaks about his career highlights, Angelina Jolie (yes!) and how he’ll always be “a theatre man”.
In Part 2, he talks about upcoming projects and who to keep an eye on on the local theatre scene.
Cape Town-based Handspring Puppet Company were honoured with a special Tony for creating the puppet horses in War Horse, which won Best Play at the Tonys.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can.
Best Direction of a Musical: Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon.
Best Costume Design of a Musical: Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Best Sound Design of a Musical: Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon.
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Philip J. Smith.