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Legends Award for UJ Head of ArtsUJ - University of Johannesburg08/06/2012 11:36:02 
Ashraf Johaardien, SA playwright and performer, has been honoured with a 2012 Legends Award for his outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry. “The Legends Awards are presented by the creators of the Artes and honour individuals who have made a difference in entertainment. There are no categories or genres, just a line-up of arts personalities who have made a difference in the industry,” explains Ambassador Rajiv Mothie of the Awards Committee. This month Johaardien celebrates his first anniversary as the Head of UJ Arts & Culture at the University of Johannesburg where he already has nine productions under his belt with nine more planned before December. He has activated the Con Cowan Theatre on the Bunting Road as a new venue; is in the planning stages of adding yet another experimental venue to the portfolio of arts facilities he runs on the four UJ campuses, and has published two issues of a new arts magazine called “Art Much?” In his personal capacity Johaardien delivered a critically acclaimed solo performance in iHAMLET, directed by Jade Bowers and adapted Robin Malan, at mainstream venues in Johannesburg. In addition he performed in the two-hander cabaret CLORA, also directed and designed by Bowers, accompanied by Daniel Geddes at Fringe venues in Johannesburg and at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown. Johaardien grew up in Cape Town and at the age of 15 he was awarded a Prince of Wales Scholarship to study at the United World College of the Atlantic in the UK. He obtained an International Baccalaureate Diploma in 1994 after which he returned to South Africa where he completed graduate and post-graduate degrees at the University of Cape Town. He has been published widely (Oxford University Press, Waverly Books Glasgow, Umuzi Random House and Junkets Publisher). His plays have been produced at mainstream theatres and festivals in South Africa and the USA, as well as in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands. His best-known play, Salaam (2002), was awarded the inaugural Spier-PANSA Jury Award and has been performed to more than 50 000 people on three continents. He was named one of the Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in 2008. His other plays include Coloured Son X (1998), Happy Endings Are Extra (2003), Miracle (2004), Stripped (2005) and a stage adaptation of K. Sello Duiker's The Quiet Violence of Dreams (2008). He has held positions with several major South African arts and culture organisations including the SA National Gallery, Iziko Museums of Cape Town, the Baxter Theatre, the Film and Publications Board, the Centre for the Book, the Arts & Culture Trust and the Wits Theatre. Other recipients of 2012 Legends Awards include Ed Jordan (Deal or No Deal), Rosie Motene (Generations), Vikash Matura (Lotus Fm), recording artist Jae, Docky Dockrat (Supersport), Thabiso Tsotesi, Pearl Magubane (MNET), Helen Desbois (Radio), producer Kumaran Naidoo, Jeremy Mansfield and Mark Banks amongst others. The award ceremony will take place at Gold Reef City’s Lyric Theatre on 26 August 2012. Booking for the event is through Computicket. Notes to Editors UJ Arts & Culture is a world-class performing and visual arts facility offering a wide range of vocational and hands-on practical training programmes in various aspects of the performing arts on all four UJ campuses. The UJ Arts Centre is located on the Kingsway Campus and comprises an art gallery, a 436-seater state of the art theatre, dance studios and choir rooms. Other facilities include the intimate Experimental Theatre on the Kingsway Campus and the 180-seater Con Cowan Theatre and dance studios on the Bunting Road Campus. In addition to producing student drama, dance and musical theatre, these venues also serve as receiving houses for professional South African and international productions, concerts, exhibitions and events. Artslink.co.za Account: Precious Maputle ujarts@uj.ac.za 011 559 4674 / 2269 UJ Arts & Culture http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/ArtsandCulture/Pages/home.aspx Related Venue:
UJ Arts Centre, cnr Kingsway and University Road Auckland Park Johannesburg Gauteng South Africa
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