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KNYSNA NEWS - The Last Raiders of the Lost Crusade is the 30th of its kind in a theatre series commonly known across South Africa as Raiders. The series has garnered international awards over the years and has seen three generations of wonderful public support.
Each Raiders production is a madcap zany adventure tale, usually based around a historic event, that sees crazy characters use wacky puns and props in its own brand of storytelling. Much of the fun of Raiders is the active audience participation as the rest of the cast are drawn from their seats to play various characters to complete the outrageous mission.
Mission: find the Holy Grail
In The Last Raiders of the Lost Crusade the year is 1940, and professor Salty Mophet is flying from Johannesburg to Cairo in his trusty yellow Aardvark, a Tiger Moth plane. Salty’s mission is to find the Holy Grail, at Winston Churchill's urgent request. Salty needs to get to this chalice before his nemesis, nine-year-old Shputin, gets in his way. In true Raiders style there are smoke bombs and flying bananas, and you might find yourself playing the rear end of a camel.
The creator of this innovative series is highly acclaimed playwright, director and actor Nicholas Ellenbogen. He is the founder member of Theatre for Africa, which has performed for audiences all over the world including Queen Elizabeth II. He has also produced over 150 of his own works for the stage.
Will it be the last Raiders, with Ellenbogen in his 70th year? Nevertheless, there are no signs yet of slowing down from the old master in this latest action-packed adventure as it is hurled along by the explosive energy of Lulu Read and Tailyn Ramsamy.
A scene from the Last Raiders of the Lost Crusade theatre production, which is stopping over in Knysna en route to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. Former Oakhill learner Lulu Read (left) is one of the show's stars, along with Tailyn Ramsamy (middle) and SA theatre stalwart Nicholas Ellenbogen. Photos: Supplied
Knysna born and bred
Read, born and raised in Knysna, returns to her old school, Oakhill, for a once-off performance of The Last Raiders of the Lost Crusade, as the cast make their way to Grahamstown for the National Arts Festival. During her time at Oakhill she was the head of the SRC for two years, house captain and first team hockey captain.
After matriculating from Oakhill, she was accepted into the highly prestigious Theatre and Performance degree at UCT to study acting. This course is the top theatre degree to study in Africa and only about 15 students are accepted to study the acting stream each year.
Read was on the Dean's Merit List during her entire time at university and is also a member of the Golden Key International Honours Society. She has just graduated her honours degree with distinction in drama and acting and as well, as the degree with distinction. Her recent roles include playing the countess in All's Well that Ends Well directed by Geoffrey Hyland and Cassandra in UCT’s production of Agamemnon.
One of the cast members, Lulu Read, is a born and bred Knysnarian, having matriculated at Oakhill School before studying drama and acting.
Ramsamy is also a graduate of UCT’s theatre and performance degree, having studied with Read for the past four years. Ramsamy is a YoTV teen presenter-turned-actor who has just come back from Romania where he performed in a production of Macbeth at the International Shakespeare festival. Other notable roles include Simon in Geoffrey Hyland’s production of Lilies, and co-starring in Rajesh Gopie’s Out of Bounds.
Want to go?
Catch the production live in Knysna on Wednesday 27 June at 19:00 at Oakhill School hall, R100 pp. Info/reservations: 044 382 6506. Tickets also at the door.
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