March 28, 2006
By Thuli Ntuli
THE school holidays are around the corner and parents everywhere are dreading those three words, "I am bored."
Malls, theatres and recreation centres across Jozi have come to the rescue, with special holiday programmes to keep children and teens entertained with musicals, dance, live music, games and plays.
And for teachers, who are also getting a well-deserved break, there is rumba, a symphony concert and some classical piano at the Roodepoort theatre.
A swimming coach will be on duty at Ellis Park Swimming Pool on Tuesday, 4 April
First up, get a feel for Easter at the National Children's Theatre Trust, where The World of Beatrix Potter is showing. The play is based on the well-loved books The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and Jemimah Puddleduck.
The play runs until 29 April, with two shows a day – at 10.30am and 2.30pm at the National Children's Theatre Trust, formerly the Johannesburg Youth Theatre, 3 Junction Avenue, Parktown. Tickets are R50 for children and R60 for adults. For more information call Limor or Sue on 011 484 1584.
Over at the People's Theatre, there is another play for the younger set. The Gingerbread Man is a musical created by acclaimed children's playwright David Wood.
It's a delight, with characters such as Mr Salt, Herr von Cuckoo the Clock, Miss Pepper and The Old Tea Bag. Prepare for a lot of audience participation. The play ends on 22 April.
Bookings can be made through Computicket on 011 340 8000. Tickets cost R75 for adults, R40 for Kids' Club members and R55 for anyone accompanying them. For more information, call Thuli on 011 442 2446 or Vanessa on 011 403 1234.
Tales of unicorns,
spiders and dragons
The Easter holidays are a family affair at Liberty Life Theatre on the Square, which has musicals for children, parents and grandparents on the calendar.
Des and Dawn Lindberg bring two musicals, one for children and one for adults, to the stage. For children, there is Unicorns, Spiders and Dragon's Tales at 3pm daily from Monday, 3 April to Sunday, 23 April.
For adults there is Des and Dawn Still Truckin'. It's a trip down memory lane, with songs such as Die Gezoem van die Bye, Ramblin' Boy, Blowin' in the Wind, The Seagull's Name was Nelson and 16 Rietfonteins.
Accompanying the songs are 1 000 carefully chosen digital visuals from their scrapbooks, photo albums and archives. The show runs from Monday, 3 April to Sunday, 23 April, at 8.15 pm.
The Liberty Life Theatre on the Square is at 121 Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton City. Tickets are R50 for the matinee and R90 for the evening show and are available at Computicket or at the theatre on 011 883 8606.
The Gold Reef City Theme Park also has a special holiday programme for children, packed with activities including bird shows, puppet shows, animal attractions and amusement park rides.
Tickey's Circus Adventure is for children of all ages. It is a circus puppet show with characters based on South Africa's famous clowns, Tickey and Francisco. There are three showings a day, at 10.30am, 12 noon and 2.30pm, from Friday, 31 March to Monday, 17 April. Admission is included in the park entrance fee.
Across at the amphitheatre, visitors can watch Birds of Africa, featuring a variety of birds of prey and exotic birds. There are two shows a day, at 12 noon and again at 3.30pm.
If that's not enough to fill your day, there is the farmyard and stables at Dr Dolittle's Farm, where children can talk to animals and visit the cuddle corner.
For more information, contact Gold Reef City Theme Park on 011 248 6813.
The Roodepoort Theatre has several activities lined up, such as classical piano, Spanish dance and flamenco guitar.
On Sunday, 2 April at 3.30pm the Pro Musica Orchestra hosts a symphony concert, featuring works by Mozart. Tickets are R40, R70 and R100.
From 5 to 8 April Light on Dance is on at the theatre. The Latin dance extravaganza includes the rumba and flamenco. Accompanied by Brazilian-born flamenco guitarist Demi Fernandez and drummer Adrian Ziller, dancers include Roquelle Carreira, Megan Reek and Linda Vergas.
For more information contact Cecile Doubell at the Pro Musica Theatre on 011 674 1357\8. The theatre is at 100 Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida Park, Roodepoort.
Rand Show
And what would the Easter holidays be without the ever-popular Rand Show? The show, known for its activities such as music concerts, exhibitions and much more, runs from Friday, 14 April to Monday, 1 May.
Tickets are R45 for adults and R20 for children under 12. Entrance is free for senior citizens over 60 with valid ID cards, and children under the age of two.
For more information about the Rand Show and what is planned for this year, visit the Kagiso Exhibitions website website or contact Kagiso Exhibitions, the organisers, on 011 661 4000.
Easter weekend is an Irish affair at the Rosebank Rooftop Market, with Irish dance and live music on the cards for Sunday, 16 April. On Monday the famous Soweto String Quartet performs some of their favourite tunes.
Both concerts are free and start at 12 noon. For more information, call Louis Balkind, the market's entertainment manager, on 011 442 4488.
Johannesburg Zoo
The Johannesburg Zoo is putting on some extra fun over the four-day Easter weekend, like jumping castles and a funfair, for the kids. For more information call Senzo Ngcobo on 011 646 2000.
Recreation centres across the city have games, dance, arts and crafts and swimming lessons to keep children and teens entertained for the holidays. Region 8's recreational centres plan activities from 3 to 7 April.
The programmes are announced on 3 April; a swimming coach will be on duty at Ellis Park Swimming Pool on Tuesday, 4 April to help children learn to swim.
Then on 6 April Barnato Park High School has lots of games planned, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, netball, chess, pool, trampoline and indigenous games like dibeke and kgati.
On 7 April it's the turn of the Yeoville Recreational Centre, which hosts indigenous games like legusha and morabaraba, and other popular activities such as tug-of-war, chess, dance, painting, fabric painting and mask making, among others.
For more information call Zanele Nkosi on 011 648 9176.
The cast of the musical The Gingerbread Man at the People's Theatre
Across town, the Brixton Recreation Centre opens its doors to children from Monday, 17 April until 26 May, with University of Johannesburg students teaching dance, drama and games. For more information call Emily Tshabalala on 011 830 1329.
For movie buffs, the Carlton Centre Ster-Kinekor cinema is showing the new animated feature, Ice Age II. Opening on Friday, 31 March, it will be on screen throughout the school holidays.
For more information call 086 130 0444 or visit the Ster-Kinekor website.
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