Interview w. lead performer of Rockwell Theatres Shiza Ikapa
An Interview with the lead performer of Shiza Ikapa at The Theatre @ The Rockwell in Greenpoint.
From “The Next 48 Hours”; an interview between Peter Tromp and performer Ramaine Barreiro-Lloyd of RBL Productions; the creator and producer of the new show Shiza Ikapa (the heat of Cape Town) at The Theatre @ the Rockwell in Green Point.
The show was launched in April, as a “one of its’ kind” fully interactive theatre and dining experience where your eyes and ears will feast on the sights, sounds and experiences of the lively, vibrant patrons that visit Marcia’s Tonic Tavern!
The next 48 Hours say:
PETER TROMP chatted to Barreiro-Lloyd about the show and what’s in store for audiences.
When did you discover your love of performing, and how did you go about carving out a career for yourself in the industry?
I didn’t really discover it. It’s what I do, who I am. I did my first cabaret show when I was about five years old and my first pro production when I was nine years old. I’ve travelled and worked my butt off (over the years). I started my production company in Dubai 16 years ago and as they say, the rest is history.
What are some of your most treasured highlights from your career?
I have so many. Definitely working alongside artists like George Benson and Al Jarreau, or taking the Battle Of The Bands three years in a row in Dubai. Or whenever I get to stage, direct and choreograph the big overseas productions. As much as I run it, I get to grow so much as an artist. It’s always my favourite.
Tell us about ‘SHIZA iKapa’. What can audiences look forward to with the show?
A high octane, high energy, crowd interactive, proudly Capetonian, extremely proudly South African experience.
The artists work so hard in this particular production. I really wanted to keep the raw energy from the cast, and it is real and it’s a dream to be able to pour all the ideas into a cast who has the talent to pull off anything my head can come up with.
You guys have assembled quite a cast for this production. Tell us a little something-something about each member of the cast
I’m a very happy girl and I’m happiest when surrounded by talent. In fact, most of my friends know me as a talent snob. So it’s very important to me that the each cast member has a special something.
O’Ryan Winter and I have been working together for almost 20 years. We still want to kill each other every day. He lived in the states for a while and has been home for a few years now. He’s normally my first port of call when I need a good music ear. The guy is a musical genius and pretty much plays all instruments.
Tebogo Louw was convinced he was a keyboard player until he joined RBL Productions. He didn’t really pick his own voice as his first instrument until he joined us. He too plays keys and guitar.
The Theatre @ The Rockwell is a relatively new venue on the Capetonian theatrical landscape. What makes this venue special?
What’s not to like? It’s in a gorgeous hotel and the hotel’s location is amazing. The show happens between the dinner tables, so you become part of the show and because we have four stages, everyone has a front row seat.
What can you tell us about what’s coming up at The Rockwell?
At the end of this month we’re bringing you Jukebox Cafe. The audience is given a song list of 150 songs, seven artists are on standby and the audience call out the songs for the evening. It’s one of RBL Productions’s biggest sellers. So I’m looking forward to seeing how our new home takes to it.
Then we’ll bring you Cape Town’s first live vocal drag show, which is the show I’m most excited about. I’m a showgirl at heart, so what better way to get it out there than by unleashing five drag queens who actually sing live.
Then we’re looking at doing Monday evenings as a comedy club, and we most definitely have to fit in a local muso jam night as well.
We have 17 shows under RBL, so we’re hoping to bring all of that to the public at The Theatre @ The Rockwell.
Source / Read More: The next 48 hours
For location information and more info on the Shiza Ikapa performances which show on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7.30pm, please click on the event details here
For more information, visit The Rockwell Theatre, or call 021 421 0015.