MUSICAL CHAIRS – Online Programme

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MUSICAL CHAIRS

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GENESIS SHIRINDZA

Genesis studied Civil Engineering at CPUT and after graduating, he workedbriefly in the industry and then decided to go see what else the world has tooffer. Since then, he has travelled the world competing in street dance – gaining some notable accolades such as getting invited for Top 24 Locking at the prestigious competition – Summer Dance Forever in 2022, amongst many.

He has also worked as Casting Director, having casted some notable work inSA such as Fatal Seduction and now he is currently a Copywriter at Ogilvy Jhb. In short, Genesis Shirindza is multi-faceted creative who is not much for titlesbut if one were to be chosen it would be ‘STORYTELLER’. He uses all his passions and hobbies, from dance, acting, copywriting, scriptwriting, poetry, producing and comedy to say something.

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SIPHO DIDIZA – CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER

A well-known dancer, choreographer, judge and teacher in the South Africanstreet dance community. Sipho’s dance journey has taken him all over the world from Los Angeles to Amsterdam and Singapore just to name a few, as a performer and more recently as a consultant, advisor and organiser.

As an accomplished choreographer , Sipho has had many opportunities suchas choreographing and appearing on TV shows such as Red Bull “Take TheTitle”, “Step Up OR Step Out” “Break Da Beat” , “Honey 3” and a highlight beinga video for by Albertoss called ‘Touch Me’ which went on to be nominated for an Ibiza Award.

As someone with many years in the industry, Sipho now seeks to consistently create integration opportunities for the dance community by bringing awareness of the space to the corporate, educational and theatrical platforms with concepts like “Cape Towns and Joburgs Most Wanted theatre show” (co director and producer ) being an example of said opportunity.

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HUNGANI NDLOVU

Hungani Ndlovu is a trained Actor, Dancer, DJ, Content Producer, Speaker,Activist for actors rights and Advocate for men’s mental health.

Hungani spent some years in the United States of America studying his craftand working in Los Angeles and New York City. After his return to South Africa, Hungani founded an artist development studio called The Actors Playground, with the goal of creating a space where people can hone their craft and understand the industry better. Hungani has a strong desire and passion toempower others, especially the youth. He is the co-founded (alongside his wife) of The Ndlovu’s Uncut Productions, which produces The Ndlovu’s Uncut on YouTube with over 344K subscribers, over 20 million views and was selected to be a part of the YouTube Black Voices – Creators Class of 2022. They also produce short films, theatre productions, commercials and other long and short form content. They were recently nominated for Best Storytelling at the DSTV Content Creator Awards 2024 for their short film ‘Lovelocked’.

Most importantly, Hungani is an Exco Member of the South African Guild ofActors, advocating for the rights and betterment of actors in our country.Currently, he plays the role of “Tbose” on SABC 1’s – Skeem Saam, yet many will know him for his ground-breaking role “Romeo” on ETV-Scandal! Hunganiis the recent winner alongside his partner Dimakatso Calisa (Team Orange) ofthe award winning reality competition tv show Tropika Island of TreasureSeason 11 – Zanzibar – which took place in 2024.

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CASEY JADE VAN WYK

Casey Jade, a dance coach for two years, has been a part of the dance industry for over ten years, beginning with ballet and working her way through various dance styles to become a versatile performer, all at the age of 19. She has represented South Africa four times overseas and has recently earned the title of Vice World Champion for Trios in the UDO World Championships held in Blackpool, England. Casey has performed as an extra for South African Idols in 2023, performed at the Krone Festival in 2023, and danced in the ‘Ematshwaleni’ music video by Kususa and ANATII. Not only is she anexperienced dancer, but she has various artistic passions, including drawing and designing artworks, acting and just recently, creative directing.

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CHAVONNE PIENAAR

Chavonne is a fresh face to the professional dance industry with two years under her belt. The young South African, throughout those two years hastoured to assist and teach in multiple countries including Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia and more. While she has done live TV performances forComedy Central and SAFTAS, where she helped choreograph, she has alsoperformed on amazing local stages such as Krone Festival 2024 and the Nelson Mandela theatre as a lead dancer for Bridges and Arches.

Her training started at National School of The Arts in classical styles and Flamenco. After graduating, she continued to explore multiple styles and ventured into different avenues such as choreography, editing, and directing. Her focus is to continue to grow in both experience and creating.

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JORDAN VAN WYK

Jordan has represented South Africa 9 times in his dance calling.

In 2024, he placed 3rd in the world out of 40 countries for Advanced Solo. He has performed on many great stages, including South African Idols for 4 years in a row, Krone Festival last year and also associately choreographing in 2024, and CottonFest in 2023 performing with the late great Costa Titch. He also recently toured Europe to compete in Amsterdam for Kulture of Hype and Hope, and in France for BattleBad.

He then taught workshops in Czech Republic and in Germany.

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PACOU MUTOMBO

Pacou Mutombo is a seasoned artist who stretched his artistry from being astreet dancer to being a choreographer, actor, concept creator, stage director, emcee, and TV host. He hit milestones by working on The Voice (South Africa,Nigeria, and Afrique Francophone). He was the TV Host of the dance showcalled Dance Africa Dance. He has his own talk show on YouTube called Confi’ DANCE and he is the first African Superhero on the hit TV series called Jongo, which is streaming now on Prime Video.

His mission now is to empower the youth by passing on his knowledge, creating work, and plugging them into the industry.

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AURELIE STRATTON

Aurelie Stratton is an actress, voice over artist, writer, director and producer who graduated from WITS Drama School and moved to the United Kingdom shortly after graduation to further her study, career and experiences. With over20 years in the Film, Television and Theatre industry she decided she wantedto expand her career and invest in writing, producing and directing. She co-founded production company You Kicked My Dog Productions and producedthe acclaimed Short Film ‘Sides of a Horn’, a narrative film about the Rhino Poaching war, which qualified for the 2020 Oscars. During Lockdown in 2020 Aurelie wrote and directed a micro short called “I’ll Call You Later” for the Ladima Foundation Film Festival Highlighting women during Covid. Her short was one of the 10 winning shorts across Africa and one of two selected from South Africa. She has written for television, theatre and a number of corporates in Europe. In 2023 she was selected to participate in the DFMAccess programme with one of the Feature Films on her slate. In March 2023 Aurelie directed the new Defending the Caveman with Craig Jackson (which was on at Theatre on the Square for several successful seasons) and is currently working on her short film ‘Fighter’. In 2024 she opened OddHoundProductions with her writing partner in the U.K. Sivan Raphaely.

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CEEJAY ANTHONY

CeeJay is a dynamic and versatile dancer that has been involved in various spaces and found she has found her love in the battle scene mainly. Her credentials include recently being crowned World Vice Champion at the prestigious UDO Worlds in Blackpool, UK, in the Over 18 Advanced Solo category. Notably, she was the sole female dancer to break into the top 5.

She was also the DSSL National Gold medalist 2023 in the solo, duo and crewcategories for her age group. CeeJay has captained the Parktown Highschool For girls Hip-hop team and choreographed and starred in the school’s major production rendition of Hairspray. CeeJay’s artistry knows no bounds. She thrives on exploring diverse avenues through dance, using her creativity to inspire and captivate audiences.

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EVELYN MABIKWA

Evelyn Sithembinkosi Mabikwa is a 25-year-old movement expressionist, actress, physical theatre practitioner, spoken word artist, playwright and performer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her training exposed Evelyn to tools in multiple art disciplines. The most detailed opportunity of study at Wits University allows her to encapsulate her artistic impetus into movement expressions stemming from dramaturgical, literary and choreographic practices.

Evelyn aims to use her experiences to advance the world’s artistic industries in both commercial and theatrical spaces through healing and finding “The trueArtist.” Her artistic involvements include the National Arts Festival, the VoiceSA, Idols SA, Redbull DYS, and her original student works titled “Ways of Existing | Access for the Bedridden” and “Mangamabi ~ Narratives of theOrphan Soul.”

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INSTAGRAM HANDLES

Production Page: @locksmiths_co
Hungani Ndlovu: @HunagniNdlovu
Genesis Shirindza: @genii_g
Casey Jade van Wyk: @casiicase Chavonne
Pienaar:@cha.v.s
Ceejay Anthony:@ceejayy.aa
Evelyn Mabikwa: @evelynmabikwa
Pacou Mutombo: @pacou.official
Jordan van Wyk: @jordannjesse
Sipho Didiza: @sipho_bnjams
Aurelie Stratton: @aureliestratt
Theatre On The Square: @theatreonthesquare

DAPHNE KUHN is a well-known South African theatre producer, artistic director and owner of the THEATRE ON THE SQUARE in Sandton. She began her career in the arts as an actress, working in both film, TV and theatre. Daphne Kuhn, holds an MA Degree in Drama from Pretoria University and her special skills range from acting to directing, PR to producing.
In 1994, Kuhn founded Theatre on the Square, first in Rosebank, then in Sandton in 1997.
This 200-seater theatre is one of Johannesburg’s most popular venues for both local and international productions. Over the years, the theatre has showcased a diverse range of plays, from classic dramas and musicals to contemporary works, experimental productions, comedies and youth theatre. Kuhn has been instrumental in bringing many important international plays to South African audiences, including the South African premieres of plays like HANSARD, SOME GIRLS, SHIRLEY VALENTINE, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, ROSE, HARD LOVE and ROMANCE. Theatre on the Square has produced and presented more than 3000 South African plays, concerts and corporate events. Daphne has also nurtured the talents of many South African artists, providing a platform for emerging writers, directors, and performers to showcase their work while generating thousands of work opportunities for those in the industry. In addition to her work at Theatre on the Square, Kuhn has also produced several successful productions that have toured to other venues around South Africa. For her contributions to South African theatre, Kuhn has received numerous accolades, including the Naledi Theatre Award for Executive Producer for her contribution to South African theatre. She continues to be a driving force in the South African theatre scene and her work has helped to shape and elevate the country’s cultural landscape.

For THEATRE ON THE SQUARE
Owner / Producer / Artistic Director: DAPHNE KUHN
Publicity: BRONWEN HIRSHOWITZ
Resident Stage Manager: REGINA DUBE
Front Of Manager: MELIDAH THAKADU
Technical Manager: LOFTUS MOHALE 
Assistant Technical Manager: REGGIE MATHEBE
Online & Design: MIKA STEFANO
Photographs for Theatre on the Square: PHILIP KUHN
Theatre Assistants: MAGDALENE GRACE & PATRICIA RAMOTATHA

Share your experience online and tag us on Instagram at @TheatreOnTheSquare or on Facebook at Theatre on the Square, Sandton

Don’t forget to switch your phone to silent during the show! 

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