A brand-new theatre is currently being built at the Shongweni Farmers’ and Craft Market that will open with a charming new original family show by Durban’s Michael Taylor-Broderick titled ‘How to train your human’.
The show is set to run on market days from 11 December until 8 January. The idea for this show was sparked after Taylor-Broderick read Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages for Children. The show title is inspired by the popular How to Train your Dragon films and books.
How to Train your Human is a Dragons-in-Training seminar hosted by The Dragon Preservation Society. This seminar focuses on teaching all attending Dragons the skills needed to successfully train their humans. Conducted by two highly respected Dragons, the seminar explores the five love languages to unravel the wonders and mystery of creating a path to the human heart, and other humans around us. As a bonus, for this particular seminar, the two experts will also be working with all the Dragons to help them discover their own unique Dragon love languages.
Physical theatre performers, Mpilo Straw Nzimande and Kaylee McIlroy, play the dragons, both performers are currently appearing together in the touring production of the Hilton Festival commissioned nature conservation piece, The Horn of Sorrow. Theatre audiences will remember Broderick’s previously much-loved three Theatresmiths productions:
the hugely successful, whimsical One Man, One Light; the beautiful ethereal, Jakob, about a lost child who has the surprising ability to guide you towards the light and the
Gold Ovation Award-winning The King of Broken Things which encourages grown-ups to revisit and re-inhabit the magical places in our minds.
Shongweni Farmers’ and Craft Market owners, Keith and Christine Standeaven, said that they wanted to create a performance space at the fabulous Saturday morning Shongweni Market to allow families to fall in love with the notion of live theatre again. “Our market is all about wholesome outdoor family activity – the chance to enjoy some downtime outdoors to unwind with great stalls, food and music. A theatre is a natural extension of this vision – an opportunity for children to put down their devices and actually engage with the live experience,” explained Christine. How to Train your Human is suitable for the whole family. It will be staged at 10am and noon on: Saturday, 11 December; Thursday, 16 December; Friday, 17 December; Saturday, 18 December; Sunday, 19 December, and 8 January, with the option to extend further into January.
