PT
EN
+ INFO
tickets | normal 12 euros | discounts: under 30, over 65, professionals, subscription 8, subscription 6
120 min. > 16
performed in English, with Portuguese subtitles
Buy online
SYNOPSIS
CREDITS
IMAGES
VIDEO
MPUMELELO PAUL GROOTBOOM [BIO]
Teatro Nacional D. Maria II
BACK
MPUMELELO PAUL GROOTBOOM | BIO
Paul was the 2005 recipient of the National Standard Bank "Young Artist Award" for theatre – this award is given to emerging young South African artists in recognition of their unique talent and excellence in their chosen discipline. He was again awarded with the 2005 Naledi Theatre Award for theatre directing of a play/musical, which he won for his stage play, "Relativity". His theatre work has traveled internationally.

Paul was first employed as a "resident writer" by the North West Arts Council (now called the "Mmabana Foundation") in 1997. And over and beyond his writing obligations, it is where he first developed an interesting in training actors (particularly with the then North West Arts Council Youth Theatre Groups, "the Mmabana Youth Ensemble" and "Badiragatsi Youth Theatre Group").

In 2002, he took up the position of "Development Officer" of the South African State Theatre, where he was required to further work with plays, community groups and actors that needed development.

He began his career as a writer for stage and television. His television writing credits include "Young Vision" (TV2 drama - 1994), "Suburban Bliss" (TV1 sitcom - 1995), "Isidingo" (SABC 3 daily drama - 2000), "Soul City" (SABC 1 health soapie - 2000), "Orlando" (SABC 2 detective drama - 2001), "Mponeng" (SABC 2 sitcom adapted from the British sitcom known as "Keeping Up Appearances") and "Healside" (SABC 2 medical drama - 2005).

His theatre writing credits include "Enigma" (1997), "Not With My Gun" (co-written with Aubrey Sekhabi - 1998), "Urban Reality" (1998), "Messiah" (1999), "The Stick" (co-written with Aubrey Sekhabi - 2000), "Dikeledi"(an adaptation of Sophocles’ Electra - 2000), "Cards"(a re-writing of Mothusi Mokoto’s script – 2002 and 2004), "In this life"(co-written with Presley Chweneyagae - 2004) which was later numerously re-staged and re-titled "Relativity: Township Stories", "Telling Stories"(2007), "Interracial"(co-written with Aubrey Sekhabi – 2007), and, "Maru"(an adaption of the Bessie Head schools set-work novel of the same name – 2008).

He has directed theatre plays like "Urban Reality"(1998), "Dikeledi"(2000), "A Midsummer Night’s Dream"(a Shakespearean comedy - 2001), "King Lear"(a Shakespearian tragedy - 2002), "Cards" (2002 and 2004), "Hamlet" (a Shakespearian tradegy – 2003), "Julius Caesar" (2003), "In this life" (2004) – which he later re-directed on a professional scale and re-titled it as "Relativity" (2005) and "Township Stories" (2006) when it was on a 3 months UK tour, "Telling Stories" (2007), "Interracial" (2007), and, "Maru" (2008).

Paul recently ventured into the world of Television directing, helming three (3) episodes in the second 39 episodes season of the Medical TV Drama, "Hillside".

Sua Excelencia Presidente da República