Students in Durban History Production at Sneddon Theatre

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Fifteen UKZN Drama and Performance Studies students brought to life the tongue-in-cheek production DE COMPLEAT HSTRY OF DBN (Without the boring bits!) at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on the Howard College campus.

The show was directed by Themi Venturas, who first staged the production at the Catalina Theatre in 2006. 

This amusing take on the history of Durban is based on the story-telling and comic techniques of the Reduced Shakespeare Company which brought the world the funny Complete Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) and The Complete History of America.

The set included a cartoon timeline originally designed by Iain ‘Ewok’ Robinson for the original production and a series of interesting photographs of early Durban projected onto a central screen. 

The show was dedicated to the late Tiki Nxumalo who was part of the original show at the Catalina Theatre. 

‘Whilst the historical - or should we say hysterical - facts are all true, the story behind the story is wildly imaginative,’ said Venturas. ‘Drama students and students of history really enjoyed seeing this production. For Drama students it was a very interesting performance style shedding light, and for history learners it inspired a lot of conversation.’ 

Cast members Ms Camilla Rogers and Ms Londiwe Ngema were ecstatic to be a part of the production. 

‘This was such a great opportunity for UKZN Drama students to gain both experience and knowledge about the industry and working with the different cast members and crew,’ said Ngema. ‘It really puts into perspective what it means to be a performer and gave us insight into stage direction, lighting etc.’ 

‘We were able to put all that we had learned into practice for this show,’ said Rogers. ‘It really solidified what we can expect in our future careers and working with Themi was quite a learning experience.

‘Being in this production has been amazing. We brought our passion for performance to the stage and the audience seemed to enjoy it.’

Melissa Mungroo