A group shot of Cape Town Opera Company members. Picture: Annene Van Eeden
Cape Town - On the eve of their opening of the Italian comedy opera L’elisir d’amore at Theatre on the Bay, Cape Town Opera celebrated two awards at the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport 2022 Cultural Affairs Awards held at Artscape on Wednesday.
The company’s head of youth development and education, Madré Loubser, was awarded the prize in the category After School Programme: After School Arts and Culture Coaching Excellence, and the company won the Neville Alexander Award for an Outstanding Contribution towards the Promotion of Multilingualism in the Language category.
Managing director of Cape Town Opera, Alex Gabriel, said: “Cape Town Opera is proud of our work addressing the educational challenges facing our incredibly talented Western Cape youth (our future opera stars) and also of our work enabling arts accessibility for all.”
Cape Town Opera is the first opera and arts company in South Africa to introduce a dual surtitle board (with both Xhosa and English) along with sign language interpretation. Their online e-learning series, Sing Like a Pro, is available in four South African languages (Zulu, Xhosa, Sesotho and English), while their in-person Foundation Studio programme has a Xhosa-speaking facilitator and their Activity Book for children is available in three languages (Xhosa, Afrikaans and English).
Cape Town Opera works hard at being both artistically engaged and socially conscious.
More winners during the awards included Siphokazi Jonas (Most Innovative Young Artist award) and Leslie Kleinsmith (Most Innovative contribution of a Legend to the Arts community).
Ministerial awards were also given by Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC Anroux Marais to nine recipients, including opera singer Virginia Davids and actor Abduragman Adams.
A full list of all the evening’s winners can be found at www.westerncape. gov.za/assets/departments/ cultural-affairs-sport/2022_cultural_affairs_awards_winners. pdf
“L’elisir d’amore” is at Theatre on the Bay until October 16, with tickets through Computicket or 021 438 3301.
Cape Times