Stage: It’s NOT That Glamorous! A new original jukebox musical opens in Cape Town

Exciting musical theatre news is the staging of It’s NOT That Glamorous! a new original jukebox musical at The Galloway Theatre, Waterfront Theatre School (WTS), Cape Town, on August 16, 17, 18, 2024. The production company, Sweapstake Productions was founded by three graduates of the WTS – class of 2022. While studying they discussed the possibility of creating a platform for their own work and colleagues in the industry and the opportunity to create new musical theatre. Treading the boards, post pandemic with the musical theatre industry reviving, they have encountered challenges in terms of finding work. Inspired by their own experiences, with some fictional elements, they have created a new jukebox musical. There is narrative set to songs from 11 hit musicals. Lara-Lynn Blignaut is the director and has written the book (script). Blignaut is also in the cast. There will be 11 on stage, so it is a big show. Five of the performers are still students at the WTS. The others in the cast are recent graduates from the WTS and other institutions. Support Sweapstake Productions- doing it and making musical theatre happen for themselves:

TCR: What was the catalyst for this production?

Lara-Lynn Blignaut:  I was in a rough place after I was denied an audition slot for my favourite musical. The reason being that I didn’t have enough theatre experience. Tris [Tristen Du Toit] and I knew we wanted to do another show, but weren’t sure what it would be. So, with a lot of support from my friends, I decided to write what I know. It’s NOT That Glamorous! was born. It is a show that sheds some light on the working performers’ experience in the Cape Town industry, and how the pursuit of our dreams can affect us and our relationships. The story is inspired by true events, with fiction added for some spice.

TCR: The story?

LLB: Three friends graduate from theatre college with stars in their eyes. They are ready to finally make their dreams come true and join the performance industry. But soon, they discover the hard truth: “It’s Not That Glamorous.” From struggling to book jobs, to constantly facing rejection, and dealing with jealousy, these friends will be pushed to their limits. This show will provide comedic insight into what this industry is really like. This is a new original jukebox musical, with songs from all your favourite musicals.

TCR: Are all of you graduates?

LLB: We have some people who have graduated already, but we also opened the show up to students, to give them an opportunity to add theatre experience to their CVs. I am a graduate of the Waterfront Theatre School – class of 2022 and so is Veronique Folscher and Tristen Du Toit. Kristoan Hatting-Van Wyk is a 2023 WTS graduate. Kaitlyn Fourie graduated from Northlink College, class of 2022. Sikho Gaika is a SACM graduate (SA College of Music – UCT), class of 2023. Mark Pekeur is studying in Paarl at the Musical Theatre Masterclass. The rest of the cast are students at the WTS: Shanay Bronkhorst, Abbi Cohen, Isabella Rosochacki and Nicole Du Preez.

TCR: Who is Sweapstake Productions?

LLB: We are a new production company based in Cape Town. We started this company in 2023 because there is a lack of performance opportunities for working performers in our local industry. We aim to create a consistent community of creatives through live and digital performance and creative opportunities.

We graduated from Waterfront Theatre School, and in our first year in the industry we struggled to book jobs and make ends meet. This got us thinking: “We can’t be the only ones”. We were taught to perform, teach AND create, so we threw ourselves into the deep end and just began. It has been a beautiful learning experience for us, and in the process we fell in love with creating and collaborating with our fellow performers. Ultimately, this is what we want to do- to bring joy to ourselves and to our audiences.

TCR: Sweapstake Productions is a cool name. How did that come about?

LLB: We used a raffle system to come up with ideas for our first show, Muddy Waters. We thought it would be nice to have our company name reflect our creative process. Raffles were taken, so we chose sweepstakes (spelled Sweapstake). Sweapstake completely embodies what it takes to put on a show. Most of the time you don’t know if it would be a success or not, but you have to just take the leap. Sweepstake definition: “a form of gambling in which all the stakes are divided among the winners.“