Aimed at 9 – 12 year olds. Nina has just woken from a bad dream. Or was it a dream? Either way, she can’t fall back asleep in case it comes back. But it’s bedtime now and the dark is making her feel strange, too… How is she going to navigate through this dark night and the nightmare stuck in her head?
Night Light uses live music, video projection, shadows, light-play and live performance to explore a night in the life of Nina, a young girl trying to deal with the thoughts and feelings which are haunting her as she lies in bed. The play evokes those moments when we feel alone: afraid of the dark, or going through life changes and unable to express ourselves. Aimed at 9-12 year olds who are at a delicate time, caught between the expectations of growing up and still haunted by childhood fears, this magical and mysterious piece encourages children to listen to their inner voice.
Biographies
Danieyella Rodin (Performer-Creator)
As a performer and theatre-maker, Danieyella Rodin has worked with a host of talented young directors and writers since she graduated first from Rhodes, and then UCT, with an Honours in Performance. She also creates her own work – like ‘White Elephant’ (with Bo Petersen, directed by Philip Rademeyer and written by David Cornwell), and now, Night/Light with Tamara Guhrs – both under the banner of Blank Canvas Kollective.
In 2013 she was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Naledi Awards for her role in The Chaeli Campaign’s ‘In The Wings’. It is through her work with The Chaeli Campaign, in partnership with Assitej South Africa, that she developed a taste for creating beautiful, playful and innovative work for young audiences.
David Cornwell (Performer-Musician)
David Cornwell is an expressive multi-instrumentalist with a literary aesthetic, he has an MA in Creative writing from UCT after all. His playful live soundscape for Night/Light is the perfect aural expression of both the seduction and eeriness of the dark, and the light. He has been performing live in Cape Town since 2010 and his debut novel, ‘Like it Matters’, hit the shelves in April 2016.
Tamara Guhrs (Director/Designer-Creator)
Tamara Schulz is a teaching artist, writer and designer, specialising in participatory play making. When she was 11 years old she wanted to be a child psychologist. Now, decades later, she realises that making theatre for young audiences is an even better plan. Tamara taught Applied Theatre at Wits Drama for Life from 2009 to 2012, then moved on to high school drama at Sacred Heart College. She has now graduated to writing and making theatre for younger audiences. She wrote Space Rocks through the New Visions New Voices Festival in Washington DC in 2016, and directed and designed Night/Light in 2017 with Blank Canvas Kollective. Tamara is a founding member of Flying House, an organisation that helps artists develop sustainable livelihoods.