Madam Junelle Stroh – on Commedia Dell’arte & Everything Drama Dell’Nam at the Kampala International Theatre Festival. 

“… Choosing drama was very difficult because everyone tells you, you will not make a living. ‘You can always do drama on the side.’ Thats always what they say. They will say, you can always do this, but choose something whereby you can pay the rent. And now, I’m grown, and those statements are nolonger a bother because I’m like yeah, ‘What did they know?’ But at the time it was really hard. When everybody, that’s all they would say.” – Madam Junelle Stroh

Commedia Dell’arte & Everything Drama Dell’Namibia at the Kampala International Theatre Festival. 

Howdy, the Kampala International Theatre Festival 2024 happened between the 20th and  24th November, and participants were regaled  with a series of activities raging from workshops, stage plays, play readings, community theatre, children’s theatre, puppetry, to mention but  a few. Among the workshops were also a presentation on Commedia Dell’arte, as presented by Madam Junelle Stroh from Namibia, and her team. 

In the ‘Commedia Dell’Nam’ Acting Workshop as Madam Junelle Stroh loves to refer to it, she introduces an excerpt from Moliere’s ‘Imaginary Invalid’. Whilst one would ideally expect a three hour play, this piece is served according to the audience. And yet, does not miss out on the original plot. Presented in three Acts, the piece is delivered by an incredible cast of six people, whom I like to say ‘have mastered the art of fluidity’. This can be seen in their movements, flexibility and quick wit. 

The show opens with a pretentious Argan, a wealthy hypochondriac –  who is clearly seeking for attention. In an instant, he goes from a heart problem to a liver problem, in a quick exchange with his help, Antoinette. Majority of the characters are masked, as they have to play different roles. 

In Act Two, scene two, we transition to Argan summoning the doctor, who is clearly  willing to do anything to get Argan’s money. And while they are at it, Argan is also ‘lowkey’ eyeing a potential suitor for his daughter Angelique. And who could it be, if not the rich and brilliant doctor? That way Argan would also always have medical attention at arm’s length.  On the other side, Argan’s daughter Angelique is unimpressed by her father’s sly plot, and she would rather be married to her not wealthy, but ‘unpretentious’ boyfriend Cleante, for they truly love each other. 

The play goes on, and in the next few scenes as crafted by Madam Junelle, the audience gets to interact with the cast and director, determining their own characters, situations and at some point, they pick props, forming teams with the cast and creating their own plots and improvised twists. A fun class or workshop to be part of, as the audience gets its own opportunity to act. But whats more interesting is the improvisation aspect. The class also explores how people wear masks, in different aspects of life. When we wear masks, then we have the opportunity to bring different versions of our personalities or characters to life. 

In a brief Q& A with Madame Junelle, she reveals that;

1. The actors of Commedia Dell’arte had what one could call fluidity, which showed forth in their postures, the improv, the quick wit. How do you manage to do that?

There is a lot of things that lead to something like you’ve said in that remark. You see the focus and everything you’ve said, that is the training. It doesn’t just happen. My cast is trained, They know how to use the tools of theatre. It’s like we’re doing theatre by the people and for the people. The two are not separate, they are together and especially at this time. We’re still recovering from COVID. That time had an impact on humanity and how we connect. Theatre is one of the important things we should look at when it comes to mental health because that’s what’s going to bring our humanity back again. Theatre is not separate from the music or the art. But most people think theatre is when we dress up and go to the auditorium to get entertained or to the museum to look at all the wonderful paintings. Theatre is all of us and all of humanity and that is why it was called Commedia Dell’arte, translated from the Italian as ‘the Comedy of the Professionals’. They were trained. They were the professionals, and that’s how that movement took on.  

         2. That’s very interesting and, how insightful! How did you get to know about the Kampala International Theatre Festival? 

I  got to hear about the Kampala International Theatre Festival from my sister in law. She said, ‘look at this festival, you should apply.’ I think she was scrolling on Instagram when she saw it.

And the call had been on for over thirty days. So we applied. For me it was like a dream that became a wish, that became a prayer, that became a miracle. It still amazes me that this really happened. 

                          3. How did you get into the world of theatre?

Well, I don’t know when I exactly I started thinking of it as ‘The world of theatre’, but its more like, from my earliest memories I liked to perform. To entertain. When I became a teenager, I attended the college of Art, and …

Author’s (Aside): This woman, Madam Junelle Stroh, is the embodiment of theatre. 

In further conversation, madam Junelle reveals that whilst she grew up on a farm, and always tried to find different ways of expression, she took drama class until end of High school. At the stage, she reveals that she really just wanted to be famous but as she went through life, with the support of her mother, she got a clearer perspective.

“… Choosing drama was very difficult because everyone tells you, you will not make a living. ‘You can always do drama on the side.’ Thats always what they say. They will say, you can always do this, but choose something whereby you can pay the rent. And now, I’m grown, and those statements are no longer a bother because I’m like yeah, what did they know? But at the time it was really hard. When everybody, that’s all they would say.”

Anyways, at the time I got myself into Pretoria, and at the time they had a really good department of the performing arts. I studied there for four years and after I went to London through a commonwealth visa program. I stayed and traveled there for two years. I didn’t get to do much theatre  but I got to see so much there, because they live with their culture. I also witnessed a lot of street theatre. 

When madam Junelle returned home, she moved to Johannesburg, South Africa where most of her friends had migrated to. While there, she for two years got involved in educational theatre, and worked for a company that had acting tropes  divided into three age groups. 

‘We had specific plays, and we would go on tour. We had professional directors so we would rehearse, and travel to different destinations and perform. With that, I was part of the crew that toured with the little ones, and that’s where the puppetry came in. I really like the concept of puppetry, and kids and theatre because children are so open, They don’t think theatre is something where you just get dressed up, sit and get entertained. Except if you train the child like that.’ She reveals 

On her return to Namibia, madam Junelle hoped and wished that there would have been something the educational theatre that she practiced in Johannesburg, but there was nothing of the sorts. Even now. She became a teacher of drama at Windhoek International School, and is a drama specialist, currently teaching drama to seniors and other interested parties. 

                          4. That means you applied for KITF as a project under the school, you teach at or?

No, I applied as an individual, with this project then I formed a team. Imagine having to explain what I wanted to do, to a team that wanted a script, and this had never been done before. I am not saying ‘Commedia Dell’arte is new, improv is not new, its all been there forever and people have used it in different ways, but the way I delivered it, the combination of of it and what we try and achieve with it, that’s new. So trying to explain that to people was also quite challenging. 

It was always me, and Kampala. Because I had the concept. So I had to determine that I need this many actors, I need to train them for this long. It wasn’t like we were a troupe. I had to audition my actors and train them and then decide who I am coming with to Kampala. Then I applied for a  grant, we did a little show in  Windhoek , so that I use that money to bring my actors here. 

So I had to wait, but I had to source the funds, while I wait for the grant, while believing so much that it comes through. But thank God it did. 

                                5. How has been your experience at the Kampala International Theatre Festival?

There is no way I can put all the experience into words now. Because so much is still happening, but its been absolutely incredible. Its all too awesome, but its so much  that I can’t put it into proper intellectual words yet. Its all awesome and I love the rhythm of Uganda and the people and everything. 

…

The Kampala International Theatre Festival (KITF) is an annual event that brings together theatre practitioners from around the world to showcase their work. The festival is platform for artists to share their stories, exchange ideas, and connect with audiences. Produced by Tebere Arts Foundation, this year’s (2024) / the 11th edition featured artists from Uganda, Germany, Rwanda, Columbia, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya among others. 

This Blog has been sponsored by Tebere Arts Foundation.

Cheers!