Lunchbox Theatre
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
Diverse, Dynamic and Creative
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Lunchbox Theatre is a diverse, dynamic and creative team working together to achieve our vision of having theatre projects as primary awareness raising tools for important issues that are relevant to South Africa’s youth
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Lunchbox Theatre was launched on the Garden Route in January 2008. Our Chairperson and founder, Stuart Palmer, brought over 10 years of professional theatre experience into the creation of the organization.
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As a fully registered Non-Profit Organization (062–454–NPO), Lunchbox Theatre focuses on an interactive style of theatre that incorporates music, dance and storytelling, thereby creating theatre that appeals to all ages.
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Since its launch LBT has performed over 830 shows to more than 180 000 audience members on the Garden Route alone.
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LBT creates original and innovative theatre pieces that draw on African influences. Our shows usually convey a message or confront an issue that is relevant to the audience.
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Our previous shows have included topics ranging from whales to the water crisis to domestic animal welfare.
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Our passion lies in working closely with other organizations and creating theatre that will advance the aims and objectives of these organizations. In the past, we have collaborated with the likes of SANParks, The International Fund for Animal Welfare, Bitou Tourism, Plett and Knysna Animal Welfare, and Jungle Theatre Company.
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As much of our work takes place in underprivileged communities we rely heavily on external funding to achieve our goals. Since our inception, we have raised our much-needed funds for various projects through organizations such as The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, The National Arts Council, The National Lotteries Commission, and many generous individual donors.
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We endeavor to forge and maintain strong links with our partner organizations and run a transparent and meticulously managed organization.
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
Diverse, Dynamic and Creative
☆
Lunchbox Theatre is a diverse, dynamic and creative team working together to achieve our vision of having theatre projects as primary awareness raising tools for important issues that are relevant to South Africa’s youth
☆
Lunchbox Theatre was launched on the Garden Route in January 2008. Our Chairperson and founder, Stuart Palmer, brought over 10 years of professional theatre experience into the creation of the organization.
☆
As a fully registered Non-Profit Organization (062–454–NPO), Lunchbox Theatre focuses on an interactive style of theatre that incorporates music, dance and storytelling, thereby creating theatre that appeals to all ages.
☆
Since its launch LBT has performed over 830 shows to more than 180 000 audience members on the Garden Route alone.
☆
LBT creates original and innovative theatre pieces that draw on African influences. Our shows usually convey a message or confront an issue that is relevant to the audience.
☆
Our previous shows have included topics ranging from whales to the water crisis to domestic animal welfare.
☆
Our passion lies in working closely with other organizations and creating theatre that will advance the aims and objectives of these organizations. In the past, we have collaborated with the likes of SANParks, The International Fund for Animal Welfare, Bitou Tourism, Plett and Knysna Animal Welfare, and Jungle Theatre Company.
☆
As much of our work takes place in underprivileged communities we rely heavily on external funding to achieve our goals. Since our inception, we have raised our much-needed funds for various projects through organizations such as The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, The National Arts Council, The National Lotteries Commission, and many generous individual donors.
☆
We endeavor to forge and maintain strong links with our partner organizations and run a transparent and meticulously managed organization.
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
Stuart Palmer
– Chairperson, Company Director, Actor, facilitator, scriptwriter and director
Stuart has been involved in theatre for over 25 years. His passion for theatre turned professional in 2001 and he has not looked back since. He has been involved in many film and theatre productions as actor, director, writer, producer, company director and general dog’s body.
Stuart spent 3 years in retail management and as many as an English teacher before becoming a partner at the helm of Jungle Theatre Company in Cape Town for 7 years where he gained extensive experience in community and school based educational theatre.
He formed Lunchbox Theatre in 2007 and now combines all his life experiences in the managing and growing of this Development Theatre Organisation.
He performs in ‘The Whale Show’, ‘A Dog’s Life’ and ‘The Last Drop’. He wrote and directed all of Lunchbox Theatre’s shows and runs the Young Actors’ Theatre Academy (YA’TA) workshops in Plett and Knysna.
Mncedisi Ncedani
: Vice Chair, Actor and Facilitator
Mnce has been involved in theatre for many years and graduated from New Africa Theatre in 1998 and has created a number of shows that have featured at the Ikwezi Festival at The Baxter and The Grahamstown National Arts Festival.
His work for Lunchbox Theatre includes acting in ‘Khokho’s Suitcase’, ‘The Whale Show’, “The Last Drop’ and ‘A Dog’s Life’. He led the Ubumnandi Theatre Factory project in Knysna and was co creator of the Water Awareness DVD. He was also a key facilitator in the recycling program. Mnce led the ‘Khokho’s Suitcase’ tour to Jo’burg in 2009. He is the head facilitator of the YA’TA programs at Pakamisani and Formosa Primary schools.
Siyabulela Spida Matyhila
: Actor, Facilitator
Siyabulela is first and foremost a comedian and has performed stand up at Simunye Centre in Kwanokuthula. For LBT he acts in ‘Khokho’s Suitcase’ and ‘The Last Drop’ and has project managed the ‘Smiley Sticks’ market outlet for over a year. He was a key facilitator in the recycling workshops at local schools. Spida is training as a facilitator to assist with the various YA’TA classes. He assisted greatly in the running of the 2010 Young Oyster Festival workshop program.
Linda Goeda
: Actor, Facilitator
Linda’s passion for the theatre was born at school where she did a number of performances. It was through her involvement with Youth Futures Data that she auditioned for a position as LBt trainee actor in 2008. Linda performs in ‘A Dog’s Life and ‘Proud of Plett and was co-facilitator during a number of workshops while on tour to schools.
Siyabonga Zabo:
Actor
Siya’s acting experience was launched when he played a small role in the local short film ‘Ikasi’ shot in Kwanokuthula in 2007. For LBT Siya has played roles in ‘A Dog’s Life’ and ‘Proud of Plett’. He also assisted in facilitating workshops in local schools where children made props, costumes and musical instruments from recycled material. Siya has developed his skills in juggling and was part of the Smiley Sticks team over the 2009/2010 summer season.
Amanda Valela
: Actor and Facilitator
Amanda comes from a dance background and has attended many dance festivals including the National Dance Festival in Upington in 2004. She has run dance groups in her community since 2003. Amanda performed as an actor at the Ikwezi festival in Cape Town in 2003 and at Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2008.
Since joining LBT in 2008 she has performed in ‘Khokho’s Suitcase’, ‘A Dog’s Life’ and ‘Marley and Farley’. Amanda ran workshops at the 2009 and 2010 Knysna Young Oyster Festival and trained kids from Plett Primary in traditional African dnce for their annual concert. She also taught many young local to do the Diski Dance over the Soccer World Cup season..
Nomzamo Maga:
Actor and facilitator
Nomzamo performed in local church plays and with Youth Futures Data before joining LBT in 2008 through the Skills Development and Job Creation Programme. Nomza performs in ‘Khokho’s Suitcase’.
Nkosinathi Xipula
Nko joined Amanda and Mnce at the Ikwezi Festival in 2003 and since been helping LBT with the Smiley Sticks project. He is involved in our Xhosa version of The Last Drop. Nko trained Plett Primary kids to play Smiley Sticks and to gum boots dance for their annual school concert. He also taught many young local to do the Diski Dance over the Soccer World Cup season.
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
Lunchbox Theatre’s
primary focus is to use theatre projects as a means of raising awareness around key environmental and social issues. These projects take the form of theatre shows aimed at kids in senior primary and junior high grades and workshops that empower learners and teachers to use theatre as tool to find their voice.
The majority of our work is carried out in under resourced schools and underprivileged areas that cannot afford to pay for our interventions. Fundraising, therefore, forms a critical part of Lunchbox’s functions.
Our Donors and Partners
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The National Arts Council
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The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport
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Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
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International Fund for Animal Welfare
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Eden District Municipality
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Bitou Municipality
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Bitou Tourism
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From Us with Love
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Cape Tercentenary Foundation
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Joan St Leger Lindbergh Charitable Trust
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Helen Calverley Trust
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ORCA Foundation
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Ocean Blue Adventures
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Nature’s Valley Trust
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Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
The Whale Show
Suitable for ages 5 to15
45 minute show – English or Afrikaans with some Xhosa
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The wondering whale watchers are on a quest to be like whales.
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They swirl their audience into a high-energy adventure, juggling to catch food, bubbling underwater music and receiving e-whales from a whale called Wonder.
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Their show is a high-energy physical comedy.
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They use mime, juggling, music and a huge puppet of a whale to swirl the audience into an informative and entertaining journey into the
world of the whale.
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They explore the relationship between whales and people through the ages.
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How do whales communicate? What do they eat? How do they form part of the ecology of the planet?
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Through this fun adventure for the whole family the wondering whale watchers discover a new way forward for the relationship between whales and people.
“Your show has seen the most delightful use of hard hitting conservation ethics with music, humour and direct interaction with the Children”
ORCA Foundation
A Dogs Life
Suitable for ages 5 to15
45 minute show – English, Afrikaans or Xhosa
This highly entertaining, interactive and informative show looks at the issues of basic domestic animal welfare and primary health care through the eyes of a young child. This child is thrown out of home and meets a dog, Wafi, in the same predicament. A villainous man, Mr Jacobs, takes them in and puts them to work stealing for him to cover their food and board. They attend an Animal Welfare meeting at the local community centre to steal as much as they can, but end up getting so involved in all that is being taught that they forget to steal. Mr Jacobs is so angry that he accompanies them to the next meeting.
The show looks at the development of these relationships and compares the various attitudes towards domestic animal welfare.
With songs, actions, interesting characters and a life like puppet of a dog, this show has proven to be a hit with all who see it.
“Keep up the good work, you truly support us in our education efforts” – Alco Isaacs, Ongelegen
Khokho’s Suitcase
Suitable for ages 5 to 15
45 minute show – English or Xhosa
The age old African art of storytelling comes alive on stage with this original production of adaptations of traditional African animal folklore tales. These stories that are deeply rooted in South Africa’s cultural history are made relevant to a contemporary audience and superimpose many of their ‘lessons’ onto a modern day context.
Our story begins with a family preparing for a feast. Khokho (great grandfather) is returning home after a long journey collecting stories from around Africa and his granddaughter and great granddaughter are hard at work readying themselves for his arrival.
We encounter Khokho on the last leg of his journey and discover that a villain, who wishes to steal his suitcase of stories, is secretively pursuing him.
Khokho rests often, as he is tired from his long journey. He opens his suitcase and recounts one of the many stories that he has gathered. These stories come to life using physical theatre and creative use of props and costumes.
We are constantly aware of the villain in the background and are humored by Khokho’s ability to unwittingly ward him off.
The stories themes are linked to incidents that we see occurring back home between mother and daughter. They will tackle issues such as respect, patience and greed.
Khokho’s final story is told after his well-celebrated arrival back home. He cleverly incorporates local townsfolk and his family to enact the story. Then much to the villain’s surprise he involves him in the story and through this the villain learns about sharing and the power of storytelling.
“Fantastic!!! Outstanding!!!” Mary Hendriks – Sunridge Primary
The Last Drop
Suitable for ages 5 to 15
½ hour show and ½ workshop – English, Afrikaans or Xhosa
Water is a hot topic. As one of our most vital resources it is so important for us all to understand why it is so important and how to conserve it. The Last Drop travels through time searching for ways to put an end to the problems so we can save our future.
Our story starts in the year 2060 and we have just found the last drop of fresh water.
There are no more trees, no fruit or vegetables, we can no longer build houses and everyone is suffering.
Something must be done!!
Join Neptune and his younger brother Triton as they try to save us all from this terrible drought. They are joined by the mad professor and the villain Davy Jones on a fun, interactive and informative journey to save the future.
This program includes a 30-minute theatre show followed by a 30-minute interactive theatre workshop. The workshop acts a reminder of the themes raised in the show. It offers the learners an opportunity to come onto stage and enact various scenarios that are relevant to water conservation.
“Excellent!! Fun while learning.” L Adams, Haarlem Secondary
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
Extra Mural Drama Workshops:
These workshops take place as once weekly 1-hour sessions. We currently run a primary school and high school group at the Whitehouse Theatre in Plett on Wednesday afternoons. We have a small Knysna class on Friday mornings for a group of home schooled kids. On Tuedsay afternoons we have a primary school group in Kwanokuthula run by Mncedisi Ncedani
The classes are divided according to age and grade.
Objectives:
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Develop theatre skills and create performances.
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Develop learner’s self-confidence.
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Facilitate social interaction.
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Encourage creativity.
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Focus self-expression.
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Have huge amounts of FUN!
Teacher Training:
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These workshops will teach the teachers how to facilitate different processes, games and exercises within a classroom situation.
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They will gain a solid understanding of theatrical concepts like warming-up, improvisation, storytelling, role-play, music and stagecraft.
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They will gain knowledge of how to utilise these skills to enhance any of their curriculum subjects.
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They will be empowered to provide a space for the learners to explore the different aspects of the curriculum through their own imagination and creativity.
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Their lessons will physically and emotionally engage the learners in the learning experience.
Skills Development and Job Creation:
Actor Training
In 2008 Lunchbox Theatre auditioned a group of aspiring actors from Plett’s townships. After selecting 9 worthy candidates Stuart trained them over a 3 month period before rehearsing them in various shows. They have since performed many shows and conducted a variety of workshops for Lunchbox Theatre. They continue to be a sourse of inspirationa and a creative resourse for the organization. Each member is employed on a contract basis according to the work available.
Tshisa Talent
2009
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Lunchbox Theatre and Bitou Tourism launched the Bitou Arts and Crafts Showcase.
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Preliminary meetings were held in all 8 communities within the Bitou Municipal District.
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Performance and Visual artists were invited to showcase their works at competitions held in local community halls.
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One performance and one Visual artist were chosen to go through to the final. These took place at the Bitou Tourism annual Plett festival.
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Local arts practitioners selected an overall performance and visual arts winner who received prizes from local businesses.
2010
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In 2010 Bitou Tourism once again backed Lunchbox Theatre with the newly named TSHISA TALENT.
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With a shift of thinking that took us beyond the focus of just announcing winners, we implemented some new phases for the project:
1. A showcase of the top 3 performance and visual artists from each community. This is a platform where the artists use their local community hall for a public event in which they showcase their talent.
2. A skills development program whereby those who excel at their skill will run training programs with those who are starting out.
3. The creation of a database to be used as a marketing tool to implement job creation opportunities for the registered artists
4. Registration with Performing Arts Network of South Africa as an artists’ collective.
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To date we have selected 8 artists who will take part in the final on 21 September 2010.
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
FAQs about your Organisation
i)
What type of organisation are you?
A registered Non Profit Organisation 062-454-NPO
ii)
Are you registered as a Public Benefit Organisation?
Yes – 930028253
iii)
Are you able to issue a Section 18A certificate to donors so that their donations are tax-deductable?
No, but we are registered as Tax exempt in terms of section 30 of the Income Tax Act.
iv)
What % of my donation does the organisation receive?
100%
v)
How will my donation be used?
The donor can select one of our many projects or donate it to the organisation to use at their own discretion. Each donation will receive a full report (if requested) detailing how the money was used.
Why Support Us?
The youth are the cultivators of change for the future and it is only through reaching them that we ensure a safe and prosperous future that is beneficial to all South Africans.
Lunchbox Theatre has the unique ability to convey vital messages. Our projects remove the child from the stuffy classroom situation and engage them with interactive song and dance, interesting characters, localized stories and the use of English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.
But it’s not as easy as it sounds. We focus on schools that are seldom exposed to alternative and meaningful educational interventions. They are hungry for our help but cannot afford our professional services. This is where the generosity of others acts as a catalyst to ensure we continue to change the lives of these kids and through that, the future of our country.
Give us Your Time
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Fundraising
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Business advice
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Team building
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Strategic services
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Design
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Computer training
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Building (shelving in our storeroom)
Our Wish List
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A 15 seater vehicle
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A laptop
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Wood for shelving in our storeroom
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Musical instruments
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Interesting old clothes for props box
Make a Cash Donation
Name of Account: Lunchbox Theatre
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: Plettenberg Bay
Branch Code: 051001
Account Number 282030794
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
To develop theatre into a vital educational tool
Physical Address: Finest Kind farm
Wittedrift
Plettenberg Bay
Postal Address: PO Box 443
Plettenberg Bay
Postal Code: 6600
Telephone: +27(0)44 533 0942
Mobile: +27(0)83 423 0083
Fax: +27(0)865 202656
Email: stuart@lunchbox.org.za
Website: http://www.lunchbox.org.za
Directions: Wittedrift