Antoinette Kellermann and Dawid Minnaar can be seen together in ‘Welkingslied’ at the Suidoosterfees. (Photo: Leonie Bezuidenhout/Maroela Media)
Every time before the stage’s curtains rise for a performance of Withering songAntoinette Kellermann and Dawid Minnaar hold each other’s hands tightly and encourage each other.
These two veteran actors can be seen together in the weighty play – poet and writer Breyten Breytenbach’s last before he passed away in 2024 – and confess they are still nervous before each performance.
Withering song is back on the stage this year at the Suidoosterfees, where it debuted last year. This year the production was presented in an intimate space, which according to Antoinette is ideal for this play’s text.
“When you don’t play in a theater and perform in another venue such as a school hall, there are often elements over which you have no control, which can throw you, such as the sound and lighting or even someone who gets up and walks out,” says Antoinette to Maroela Media during the Suidoosterfees.
That’s why it’s inevitable to get nervous before every show, Dawid agrees.
“Each time there is a new audience in front of you, and you yourself are never exactly the same as you were yesterday. This also makes it fun, the anxiety gives you a type of exciting anxiety and adrenaline pumping.”
The piece was also seen at the Momentum Aardklop art festival last year and at this year’s Klein Karoo National Art Festival (KKNK). The text was adapted by Tessa Louw and Marí Borstlap and Marí also directs.
In Breyten’s last play, the audience is taken on a journey by the author who introduces himself at his own funeral. He enters into an intimate conversation with an old stage actress and wants to weigh everything for the last time, but can the actress interpret his last words to value?
Withering song is Breyten’s moving swan song and was written for the Suidoosterfees shortly before his death. The piece is also dedicated to Antoinette and theater icon Marthinus Basson.
“It is very nice that the piece has had a long life. However, there are currently no plans to perform it again after this year’s short play at the Suidoosterfees.”
Antoinette and Dawid agree that they thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere and integrated feeling of the Suidoosterfees.
“Antoinette and I rely on each other and trust each other on stage. Especially since there are no more acting companies and you are constantly working with new people, it often takes almost the entire rehearsal period just to discover and get to know your fellow actors better.
“It counts in our favor that we have often worked together and it helps especially when you have a text like Withering song have,” says David.
“Yes,” Antoinette agrees with a laugh, “if you lose your place in that text you must pray that you find your place again.
“Theater work remains terrifying. I’m also the one who has to communicate directly with the audience continuously. I can’t see them without my glasses and the lights are also sharp, but I can tell if someone in the front row turns on a phone to check what time it is.”
According to Antoinette and Dawid, theatre-goers do not realize how something like a phone light or an alarm clock going off during the performance affects an actor on stage.
“It disturbs your focus, but on the positive side, if the audience gets involved, you feel the energy. Then there is nice support and interaction between us on stage and the audience.”
Breyten has a large presence in Wellington, where the Breytenbach center is located.
“People drove through from there to see us. The Afrikaans high schools also put a lot of effort into literature and we therefore regularly play for younger audiences.
“I enjoy the younger audiences immensely, because they pick up on every fine nuance and respond to it,” says Antoinette.
For Dawid, the piece’s gravitas lies in the way Breyten deals with the Afrikaans language. “It’s just amazing. A word artist like Breyten captivates you, even if you don’t always understand the text. We believe that people should just experience the piece, rather than trying to understand everything.”
With the closure of Showmax and the production of numerous Afrikaans TV productions and other local content being temporarily halted, Antoinette and Dawid paint a dark picture for prospective actors and drama students.
“It is extremely important that young actors also diversify into other areas. They must realize that they are not going to make a living in South Africa just from acting,” emphasizes Antoinette.
“It’s sad, but young actors and writers are going to have to create their own work. And they have to know what’s going on in the world – they have to read and go to the theater.”