The Naledi Theatre Awards are recognised as the premier awards event for the professional live theatre industry in South Africa. The 14th iteration of the Naledi Theatre Awards covers all mainstream professional productions staged between January to December 2017.
The list of nominations for the 14th Naledi Awards was revealed at a special gathering held at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg on the evening of 14 May. Included in the list of productions that have received recognition across multiple categories are the high-profile musicals, such as King Kong: Legend of a boxer; West Side Story; and Evita The Musical. However, a number of smaller productions, written and directed by local talent have also received the nod. These include Tamasha on Hope Street written by Rajesh Gopie and directed by Gopala Davies, and When Swallows Cry, written by Mike van Graan and directed by Lesedi Job, to name a few.
In the technical categories, both lighting and audio disciplines have been recognised, with nominations for the Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design or Sound Scape awards acknowledging some of the preeminent technicians in the theatre industry in South Africa. Nominations in these categories are as follows:
Best Lighting Design
- Mandla Mtshali for When Swallows Cry
- Joshua Cutts for West Side Story
- Tim Mitchell for KING KONG: Legend of a boxer
- Darron Araujo & Guy de Lancey for Dead Yellow Sands
- Wilhelm Disbergen for Tamasha on Hope Street
Best Sound Design or SoundScape
- Gladman Balintulo for Sarafina
- Mark Malherbe for KING KONG: Legend of a boxer
- Mark Malherbe for West Side Story
- Wessel Odendaal for The Mystery Of Irma Vep
- Steve Clarke (soundscape) for The Old Man and The Sea
The final award ceremony of the 14th Naledi Awards will be held on 18 June at a venue that is still to be confirmed. Pro-Systems would like to extend our congratulations to all nominees, and we wish you the best of luck for the coming award ceremony.
