ABOUT

NALEDI THEATRE AWARDS 2023

The Naledi Theatre Awards have been in existence for 19 years and are recognised as the Premier Awards event on the Gauteng Theatre Calendar. It was founded by the late Dawn Lindberg, together with her husband, Living Legend Des Lindberg. Naledi’s mission is to recognize and reward excellence in the Performing Arts, to raise the profile of Live Theatre and to create awareness of the abundant talent alive and well on our SA stages. The Naledi Theatre Awards has honoured in excess of 70 Lifetime Achievers: veteran artistes, technicians, and administrators who have dedicated their lives to SA Theatre, and also pays tribute to people in the Arts who have taken their final bows during the year under review. The Naledi Theatre Awards normally covers professional productions from the period 1 January to 31 December of the previous year and the Naledi Judges typically evaluate over 100 productions in approximately 25 categories.

PURPOSE

To recognise and reward excellence in South African Live Theatre and the Performing Arts, specifically in the greater Johannesburg-area, as well as Pretoria.

AIMS

  • To raise the profile of South African Theatre.
  • To stage a World class Ceremony annually including entertainment from productions staged during the year under review.
  • To become branded as the most respected award system for Live Theatre in South Africa.
  • To celebrate the contribution of theatre makers in building our theatre industry across all professional platforms during each calendar year.
  • To sustain a national television media partner and thereby further popularize the Performing Arts Industry to a wider cross section of the population.
  • To build new audiences of the future who will become regular theatre-goers.
  • To recognize and reward young emerging producers, performers, designers, creatives and theatre makers.
  • To identify and secure partners for Funding and Sponsorship in order to sustain and grow the Naledi Theatre Awards in all these spheres.
  • To recognise the multi-lingual and multi-dimensional forms of theatre in this country, and as such, to promote productions in all South African languages and celebrate the diversity of South African stories.

    COMPOSITION OF THE JUDGING PANELS

    The Naledi Panels of Judges consist of informed and regular theatre goers, academics, theatre practitioners and members of the media covering the arts in the greater Johannesburg-area, as well as Pretoria. Panel members are appointed by and serve at the discretion of the Naledi Executive, though it may elect to consult existing panel- or board members on the appointment of new panel members. The appointment of panel members is done with due regard to the requirement for expertise coupled with diversity in respect of race, gender, language and level of experience. In order to recognise the diverse and growing nature of theatre in SA, since specifically 2019, Naledi consists of the following specialist judging panels:

    • Plays, incl. Solo Performances; and Musical Theatre / Musical Revue
    • Theatre for Children and Young Audiences (Ages 0 – 13)
    • Dance-, Physical Theatre and Ballet
    • Independent- / Fringe Theatre
    • Student Theatre The abovementioned panels will be reviewed bi-annually by the Executive, subject to a probation or exploration period of three (3) months in respect of all newly appointed judges and panels.

    Furthermore, a convenor shall be appointed for each respective panel, in order to attend to minor administrative and logistical duties, to be the judges’ point of call and in order to communicate effectively with the Executive and/or Board of Naledi.

    POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE PANEL(S)

    All decisions of the panel(s) concerning eligibility for the awards and other matters relating to the administration shall be final, binding and conclusive for all purposes. Such decisions shall be ratified by the Executive Committee and Board of Naledi, if required.

    All votes by the panel(s), whether for purposes of nominations or to determine the respective winners of the awards categories, shall be done in accordance with the auditor’s agreed upon procedure.

    Names of the Nominees are announced at the Nominations’ Reveal, whereafter the names of the winners shall only be announced on the night of the annual Awards Event.

    Panel members’ attendance of eligible productions

    The Producer, creator and/or theatre must invite, in a timely manner (preferably no later than 2 weeks in advance) each relevant panel member (or via the convenor of the relevant panel) to attend a performance of an eligible production, free of charge (x1 or 2 tickets per judge, at the discretion of the producer/theatre). Apart from meeting the eligibility criteria, set out below, only shows where the panel have been invited to explicitly shall be eligible.

    Invitations should be extended by way of e-mail, in accordance with the regularly updated address lists provided to the respective theatres and producers by Naledi’s dedicated administrator; OR, alternatively, to the dedicated Naledi administrator, Ms. Dayle Littlefield, for distribution to the relevant panel at info@naleditheatreawards.com and neoteric.nexus@gmail.com. Kindly also cc Lihan Pretorius (lihanpretorius@gmail.com) and Renos Spanoudes (rnspanoudes@gmail.com).

    Panel members who cannot attend the opening-/media night or invitation performance date of a particular production, upon invitation, are expected to make alternative arrangements with the producer/theatre/publicist concerned to view the production on an alternate date during the run.

    Panel members are permitted to be affiliated to or have a direct interest in any of the eligible productions, including participation in performances, either in a technical or performance-related capacity. Panel members may also be involved in any public relations, marketing, management, administrative or technical positions where judging takes place. However, such an occurrence, as stated above, will not disqualify a panel member or production, but will necessarily lead to the panel member recusing him- or herself of voting for production/s in which they are involved.

    Panel members are required to see at least 80% of all eligible productions in a judging cycle and to verify such attendance by way of statement of productions attended (together with sufficient proof of attendance, being a ticket and/or programme) before proceeding to vote and/or take part in the nomination process, such statement being subject to verification by Naledi’s Executive team.

    Panel members may not receive any financial benefits for their attendance other than a/the pair of complimentary ticket(s), a programme and refreshments as part of the standard opening night hospitality or otherwise.

    ELIGIBILITY OF PRODUCTIONS

    Judging cycle or term

    Between 1 January and 31 December of any given year, the Naledi Theatre Awards Panel considers all productions that are, in the judgment of the panel, live theatrical productions that conforms to the eligibility criteria, as set out in this document.

    Criteria for Judging and Eligibility in respect of the Plays and Musical Theatre categories:

    The production should be staged during the year under review, meeting the sufficient number of performances (as set out below) in the year of review.

    A period of at least two (2) years must elapse for a re-staging of a particular production to be considered. The writers, directors, cast, technical team or any other person involved in the re-staging of a production will not be eligible for consideration if they had been Naledi Theatre Award winners in the debut or previous run.

    The mere re-staging of a particular production will unfortunately not be considered.

    Productions need to be professional (ie: producer/director/creatives/performers) in order to be considered in the Plays and Musical Theatre categories. Note that Student Theatre, Dance-, Physical Theatre and Ballet, Theatre for Children and Young Audiences, and Independent Theatre / Fringe Theatre, which are considered for their own limited awards, might potentially also be eligible in the primary awards categories, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria.

    Productions need to be staged in a theatre / performance venue / site specific space in Gauteng (Johannesburg- and Pretoria area).

    The production needs to have been staged for a minimum of two (2) weeks; or eight (8) performances during the year under review in order to qualify in the Plays and Musical Theatre categories.

    Professional theatre productions staged as part of local arts festivals, etc. are only eligible if they meet all other criteria, including the requirement for at least eight (8) performances in the year under review, with a minimum of 50%, i.e. four (4) performances in Gauteng.

    The Producers and/or cast need to be South African. In the case of foreign creatives and/or -cast, the relevant creative/performer/artist must be brought to SA especially for the role being played, or creative task being accomplished; such production being rehearsed and staged in SA.

    In order to be eligible, a performer must perform the role on the production’s opening night or be billed as such for the specific role. If one or more other actors or actresses have equal billing with an actor or actress who performed on the opening night, additional tickets should and could be made available to members of the panel for the purpose of judging the performance of each of these performers, at the discretion and election of the Producer/theatre.

    A performer who is nominated in the category “Best Performance in a Solo Production: Male / Female” will not be eligible for consideration in the categories of “Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role” or “Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role”. This shall be applicable to performers in both the musical theatre- and play genres.

    Criteria for Judging and Eligibility in respect of categories of Dance-, Physical Theatre and Ballet; Student Theatre; and Independent- / Fringe Theatre.

    In addition to and varied from the above, the following amended criteria shall apply:

    The production needs to have been staged for a required minimum number of performances during the year under review in order to qualify in these awards categories, which are as follows:

    Dance-, Physical Theatre and Ballet – Four (4) performances Independent- / Fringe Theatre – Four (4) performances Student Theatre – Four (4) performances

    Student Theatre Productions are eligible under this category when such production has been created by a secondary- or tertiary educational institution and for education/training of potential and future professional theatre practitioners, utilizing predominantly student performers, artists, crew and/or creatives. The relevant panel will view the eligible productions, upon invitation, and will seek to recognise promising students, as well as the production.

    Criteria for Judging and Eligibility in respect of Theatre for Young Audiences (Ages 0 – 13):

    Such production should be a Professional production, which includes a professional creative team and a significant proportion of professional performers.

    These productions must have been performed at least eight (8) times (collectively) in the year under review in festivals, theatres, theatres or “site-specific” spaces.

    Only productions made especially for a South African audience are considered, and must include significant South African involvement. Kindly note, however, that the content need not be South African. This criterion is to distinguish work made by South Africans from the work that tours South Africa by international companies. Co-productions between South African artists and international artists would be considered.

    Productions in the Theatre for Children and Young Audiences category should specifically target or be designed for children or young people (aged 0 – 13) as audience.

    NALEDI THEATRE AWARDS – GENERAL:

    Genres Included:

    • Plays (any genre, including productions of set works for schools; solo performance and solo comedy performance)
    • Musical Theatre (including Musical Revue)
    • Theatre for Children and Young Audiences (0 – 13)
    • Dance-, Physical Theatre and Ballet
    • Independent- / Fringe Theatre
    • Student Theatre

    Genres Excluded:

    • Comedy Club / Improvisation
    • Variety Shows
    • Music concerts, whether classical or secular
    • Opera

    **Note: A defining factor of eligibility of a production shall be that it shall contain certain production- or theatrical elements, such as theme, concept and/or narrative. In the premise, as example, stand-up comedy will be excluded, as opposed to the inclusion of a stand-up comedian creating and performing (in) a production, as set out above.

    No award made

    The panel may agree to withhold the presentation of an award in any particular category, for whatever reason. Substantiation for its decision will be formally recorded in the minutes of the nomination meeting and may be included in the briefing to the media on the list of nominees.

    Conflict of interest

    If any panel member is related to or has a relationship (friendship and/or business excluded) with any of the nominees, they are required to declare or disclose such interest. Such a panel member will be recused from and not participate in any discussion on, or vote for that particular artist or production, failing which such artist or production will automatically be disqualified.

    AWARD CATEGORIES – 2023 ONWARDS

    Naledi Theatre Awards may be presented in the following categories:

    • Theatre Sound Design
    • Theatre Lighting design
    • Theatre Set design
    • Theatre Costume Design
    • Animation / AV design
    • Performance in Production for Children and Young Audiences
    • Production for Children and Young Audiences (0 – 13)
    • Breakthrough Performance
    • Performance in a Supporting Role/Cameo: Male/Female (Play)
    • Performance in a Supporting Role/Cameo: Male/Female (Musical Theatre Production)
    • Musical Direction
    • Musical score/arrangements/adaptation
    • Original Choreography in a Musical/Play
    • Ensemble Performance / Production (Musical or Play)
    • Performance in a Solo Production
    • Performance in a Solo Comedy Production
    • Performance in a Lead Role: Male/Female (Play)
    • Performance in a Lead Role: Male/Female (Musical Theatre Production)
    • Most Promising Student in a Student Theatre Production
    • Best Student Theatre Production
    • Best Dance-, Physical Theatre and Ballet Production
    • Best Independent- / Fringe Theatre Production
    • Director: Play
    • Director: Musical Theatre Production
    • Best New South African Script
    • Best Play
    • Best Musical Theatre Production

    The following awards will be regarded as special awards, decided on and approved by the Executive and Board of the Naledi Theatre Awards:

    • The Dawn Lindberg-World Impact Award (for an individual or production that raises the bar of SA Theatre Internationally)
    • Lifetime Achievement Awards (For individuals in the Industry for more than 30 years.)
    • CEO’s Award / Innovation in Theatre Award (for outstanding contribution to South African Theatre)
    • Lesedi Spirit of Courage Award (for individuals who have overcome extreme disability, trauma or hardship to make a mark in SA Theatre) Herewith the Naledi Team for the 2023 judging cycle: MANAGEMENT-/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Lihan Pretorius – CEO / Executive Director: Legal Renos Spanoudes – Chair of Judging Panels Chris Avant Smith – Strategy and Sponsorships Dayle Littlefield – Administrative Manager PUBLICIST 2023 TBC WEBSITE 2023 Blue Key Digital Marketing AWARDS NOMINATIONS AND -WINNERS VOTING AUDITOR(S) Marno Coetzer C.A. (S.A.) NALEDI BOARD Kgomotso Christopher – Chair of the Board
      Sello Maake Ka Ncube – Deputy Chair of the Board
      Lihan Pretorius – CEO / Executive Director / Legal
      Des Lindberg – Executive Director: Technical
      Renos Spanoudes – Director: Judging Panels
      Chris Avant Smith – Director: Public Relations and Marketing Anthony Chait – Consultant: Finance, Audit and Risk

    Herewith the Naledi Team for the 2023 judging cycle:

    MANAGEMENT-/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

    Lihan Pretorius – CEO / Executive Director: Legal Renos Spanoudes – Chair of Judging Panels

    Chris Avant Smith – Strategy and Sponsorships

    Dayle Littlefield – Administrative Manager

    PUBLICIST 2023

    TBC

    WEBSITE 2023

    Blue Key Digital Marketing

    AWARDS NOMINATIONS AND -WINNERS VOTING AUDITOR(S)

    Marno Coetzer C.A. (S.A.)

    NALEDI BOARD

    Kgomotso Christopher – Chair of the Board

    Sello Maake Ka Ncube – Deputy Chair of the Board

    Lihan Pretorius – CEO / Executive Director / Legal

    Des Lindberg – Executive Director: Technical

    Renos Spanoudes – Director: Judging Panels

    Chris Avant Smith – Director: Public Relations and Marketing

    Anthony Chait – Consultant: Finance, Audit and Risk

    PLAYS AND MUSICAL THEATRE 2023

    Gregory Goss – Convenor
    Alby Michaels
    André Schwartz (Musical Theatre only) Annelize Hicks
    Chet Diepraam
    Chris Avant Smith
    Etienne van Niekerk
    Gregg Pettigrew
    Janice Leibowitz
    Johan van der Merwe
    Lance Maron (Musical Theatre only) Lihan Pretorius
    Louisa Beukes
    Maralin Vanrenen
    Marié-Heleen Coetzee
    Marintha Labuschagne
    Nita Cronjé
    Ntambo Rapatla
    Renos Spanoudes
    Sello Maake Ka Ncube
    Talia Kodesh (Musical Theatre only)

    Thea Gafin (Musical Theatre only)

    DANCE, PHYSICAL THEATRE AND BALLET 2023

    Kelsey Middleton – Convenor Debbie Rakusin
    Ignatius Van Heerden Lesego van Niekerk

    Phillida Le Roux-Liebenberg

    Talia Kodes

    INDEPENDENT- / FRINGE THEATRE 2023

    Darren Meltz – Convenor

    Chubeka Nongwana

    Gcebile Dlamini
    Gillian Wittstock

    Lehlohonolo Peega

    Lesego Moalafi

    Lucky Mqoboli

    Thamsanqa Mbongo

    STUDENT THEATRE 2023

    Gillian Wittstock – Convenor Gcebile Dlamini
    Johan (Swannie) Swanevelder

    Lihan Pretorius

    Lucky Mqoboli

    Maralin Vanrenen

    Renos Spanoudes

    Tumelo Kope-Baloyi

    CHILDREN’S THEATRE 2023

    Thea Gafin – Convenor Darren Meltz
    Janice Leibowitz
    Johan (Swannie) Swanevelder

    Ratanang Mogotsi

    Shira Milstein Tumelo Kope-Baloyi

    Due to the ever-evolving nature of the SA theatre industry, this document will be reviewed on an annual basis and is subject to change. The most recent version will appear on the Naledi Theatre Awards website, being www.naleditheatreawards.com, as well as the Naledi Theatre Awards Facebook page.

    This document was compiled by Lihan Pretorius, CEO / Executive Director, recognizing the contribution by the Chair of the Judging Panel, Board member: PR and Marketing and various Naledi judges. Revision – January 2023