Download curriculum vitae

CURRICULUM VITAE
NEELS HANSEN
Neels Hansen was born in 1936 on a Highveld farm and attended high school in
Heidelberg. He later studied at Pretoria University, obtaining a BA degree, and at
Teachers Training College where he received an HOD Teachers Diploma. Neels
became a teacher but decided at the age of 24 to join the staff of the new Civic
Theatre in Johannesburg, determined to create a career in theatre.
In 1964 he joined the Heidelberg Teachers Training College as a drama lecturer
where he staged student productions of The Student Prince (Romberg) and Our
Town (Thornton Wilder). During 1965 he was invited to become a lecturer at the
newly formed Drama Department at Pretoria University, joining Professor Anna
Neethling-Pohl, Francois Swart and other important theatre names. Two study
tours to Europe followed.
While at the University Neels Hansen staged numerous student productions from
Wilder to Shakespeare, and among the prominent students who graduated
during his seven year tenure were Sandra Prinsloo, Tobie Cronjé, Katinka Heyns,
as well as many other well known actors of today.
During this period Neels also worked for PACT Opera as Assistant to the Director
for many major productions, for example La Traviata (Verdi), Don Pasquale
(Donizetti), Tosca (Puccini), and all restagings were done by him. Working with
famous opera directors and conductors presented Neels with great opportunities
in this field. While working on student productions, school tours and restaging
major opera productions his interest in costume design developed. He designed
costumes not only for student productions, but was also the director for these
productions. While lecturing he restaged major operas. During this period Neels
also completed his Masters Degree in Dramatology.
During 1972 Neels Hansen joined the staff of Stellenbosch University’s Drama
Department as senior lecturer, but returned to PACT after two years, taking up
the post of Resident Opera Director and Designer. His first major staging was
Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) with Nellie du Toit, Gé Korsten and Lawrence
Folley – this was followed by Tosca (Puccini) with Tito Gobbi as Scarpia considered being one of the highlights of Neels’ career.
During 1974 Neels was invited to stage the Donizetti opera L’Elisir d’Amore at
the Imperial Opera House Tehran, Persia. The Farah Diba, wife of the Shah of
Persia, extended the invitation to him.
Many operas followed which were staged and designed by Hansen –
mainstream productions such as The Barber of Seville (Rossini), La Traviata
(Verdi), Il Seraglio (Mozart), and La Bohème (Puccini). Highlights during this
period were Die Fledermaus (Strauss) with Mimi Coertse, Faust (Gounod), and
The Merry Widow (Lehár).
During 1979 a newly designed production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly was
staged with Yasuko Hayashi and this production was retained in repertoire for 21
years. The famous Japanese soprano Miwako Matsimoto also sang the role of
Cio-Cio San for a later PACT production of this beautiful opera.
Of over 50 new stagings during Neels’ career some were staged for Cape Town
Opera, Windhoek and Durban.
A grand Aida (Verdi) was staged in 1981 for the opening of the State Theatre,
with American soprano Martina Arroya. The first black chorus to appear on the
State Theatre stage came from Atteridgeville, and they performed as the
Ethiopian slaves in this opera. This was the largest opera production staged to
date in this country.
During the following years Neels Hansen directed Rigoletto (Verdi), Turandot
(Puccini), Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagnia), I Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) and Un
Ballo in Maschera (Verdi) and in 1983 was appointed Artistic Director of State
Theatre Opera.
During the following years he led the company to international standards,
developed the repertoire and worked with some of the most prominent singers,
directors and conductors in the world. Major Wagner operas were staged and
additional works were added to the repertoire, for example Maria Stuarda
(Donizetti), Death in Venice (Britten) and I Puritani (Donizetti). Important
directors from abroad were contracted to stage major productions with South
African singers and European artists.
A young, vibrant ensemble of talented singers was created, including now
prominent names such as Jannie Moolman, Rouel Beukes, Hanli Stapela and
others. Eventually this ensemble would become the foundation of fully staged
operas with completely South African casts.
Exchange of productions with Cape Town Opera was a regular feature and
Hansen was instrumental in finding sponsorships for many of the operas,
including creating the South African Airways World of Opera. The same
production toured all four of the major performing arts centres and was thus a
great budget saving device.
Outreach programmes were created during the 1980’s and educational
productions were done in the townships. South African children’s operas were
especially composed and staged on large theatre trucks sponsored by Transnet.
Tuliwe and The Crocodile and The Milkbird were the first of these events to be
performed. Learners from diverse cultures were brought to the theatre to attend
performances – a very successful development project.
On his retirement in 1994 Neels Hansen left a fully established Opera
Department in place : an ensemble of 12 young opera singers, a fulltime chorus,
three repetiteur pianists and coaches, opera publicity and marketing officers,
sponsors, production teams, designers and an assistant director.
During 1999 the Black Tie Ensemble was formed by Neels Hansen and Mimi
Coertse as it was very clear that the State Theatre was going to be closed by the
Government and young singers would be left out in the cold. After a gruelling and
difficult first 18 months, struggling to find sponsors and platforms for the young
singers, the Black Tie Ensemble has grown beyond expectations. The motivation
behind this project was to create jobs for young, unemployed singers, as well as
to develop the art of opera by allowing voices without opportunities to grow and
flourish in performance: a new opera company for young singers from diverse
South African backgrounds.
Singing at corporate functions was the first venture the Black Tie Ensemble
embarked on and was started without any initial financial support. The first
sponsorship by Nedbank, was facilitated through the benevolent Dr Ivan May.
The sponsorship was sufficient to afford a coach and repetiteur, fees for these
then unknown artists were minimal and with no other monetary support The
Ensemble persisted. The Ensemble did persevere and former members of the
Ensemble performs all over the world today.
The Black Tie Ensemble staged many new opera productions since their initial
opera, Rigoletto, which was staged in May 2001 at the Aula theatre of the
University of Pretoria. Others of note include Madama Butterfly, with the first
South African black soprano in the title role, La Bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor,
Gianni Schicchi, Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci, to name a few. These
productions were all accepted with great critical acclaim and had many loyal and
steadfast sponsors and supporters who realised the Ensemble is an investment
for the future.
On 13 February 2005 Neels received a TMSA Life Time Achievement Award at
the prestigious Naledi Theatre Awards Ceremony. The Theatre Managements of
South Africa (TMSA) is an umbrella body of over 50 Theatre managements,
producers and service providers.
Neels retired in 2007 after his production of An Edwardian Soiree, an inventive
dinner concert concept, which allowed members of the Black Tie Ensemble not
only to perform in these beautiful period costumes, but to play an important
interactive part with the audience and the young members had to learn to play
realistic roles of period waiters and waitresses. Although retired, Neels still gave
up his time to teach at the Black Tie Ensemble Incubator Scheme and even
directed some of the student’s year-end examination productions.
In 2014, Neels was honoured by Kyknet with a Lifetime Achievement’s Award
and Gauteng Opera, the company which evolved from the Black Tie Ensemble,
paid tribute to him in a beautiful concert with former members of the Ensemble.
Sadly Neels passed away on 17 November 2014, shortly after being diagnosed
with lung cancer.