Andile Vellem and Jori Snell during a performance of Red Boots. PICTURE:SUPPLIED
The creators of the play, Red Boots, have been invited to perform it at the Mother Tongues Festival in Dublin, Ireland, but need about R15 000 to make it happen.
A BackaBuddy campaign has so far raised R10 000 of the R25 000 needed to get the production to Dublin for the festival from Wednesday February 19 to Saturday February 22.
The play was created by Observatory Theatre Arts director Caroline Calburn; Andile Vellem, a South African deaf dancer and choreographer; and Jori Snell, a Danish dancer and performer.
It is a piece of dance/physical theatre for deaf and hearing children aged 1 to 3: in a moving landscape of snow, wind and rain, a tiny pair of red Wellington boots explores, gets lost, is found and allows young children (and their carers) to find the magical in the ordinary everyday.
According to Ms Calburn, the festival is covering 75% of the costs of taking the production to Ireland, but there is a R25 000 shortfall.
“The National Arts Council’s Emergency Travel Fund for 2024/2025 has already been depleted and there are few places to formally request emergency funding for the arts,” she said.
“We truly want to see that an investment in Red Boots is an investment in the emotional and imaginative development of our children.”
The idea for the play came from a book, Gossie, she bought her daughter.
“The idea of using it as a springboard to create a play for babies crept up on me over the years while I was buried in admin work. I had also for many years been intrigued in exploring the idea of sign language and dance and I approached Andile and Jori, a magical combination of deaf and hearing dancers. We spent a couple of hours a day over a two-week period exploring words that emerged from the play and the kind of imagery and dance vocabulary that they evoked. We then put the idea to bed for about 10 years as I seemed unable to raise the funds to make the work. Then during Covid-19, we revisited the idea, applied to the National Arts Council for a grant and were successful and Red Boots was born.”
They have staged the play at Theatre Arts, the St Dominican School for the Deaf in Wynberg, the Carel du Toit Centre at Tygerberg Hospital and De La Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester.
“The children were absolutely delighted in the production, and the teachers delighted in the children’s delight. So for us to have it recognised by an international festival as something that will add value to their community – both audience and artists - is a huge privilege,” said Ms Calburn.
Mr Vellem said going to Ireland would be a great opportunity.
“Firstly to show the talent from South Africa. Secondly as a deaf performer, it will inspire other deaf children, to show them that there are no limits in arts. This work is unspoken, even babies as young as nine months can enjoy the work.”
To donate, visit the BackaBuddy page.