DIE DROOMDIEF!

Die Droom Dief is a story about a young girl Sussie whose dream is stolen during the night.

The play starts with a group of friends playing clapping songs and skipping-rope when a distraught Sussie joins them. Initially she doesn’t want to tell them what is wrong because she knows that they won’t believe her and eventually when she does they laugh and tease her saying that she is being silly and that dreams cannot be stolen.

After a while her best friend Meisie, realizes that she is serious and suggests that they search for the thief together but Sussie is scared and reasons that even if her dream was stolen at least she was not harmed and she goes home to check whether she might have just misplaced the dream. Meisie is not willing to give up so easily though and she reminds their friends how Sussie has always helped them and she eventually manages to convince them that their friend needs their help.

They all go to Sussie together and after they apologise for teasing her they start making plans about how to go about finding out who the thief could be, but once again Sussie tells them that she is not interested in catching the thief because she just wants her dream back.

Eventually they devise a plan and set off to tell the police, but the policeman just laughs at them and tells them not to waste his time; they then go to the pastor who tells Sussie that it is all in her imagination because dreams cannot be stolen and that she should pray; they go to a teacher who tells them that they should be studying and to wasting their time hunting for lost dreams; the go to the local gossip, the shop owner, the owner of the tavern, but no-one is of any help and each one send them off with another bit of bad advice.

Eventually they are despondent when they meet up with the local gardener who tells them that he overheard someone sitting in the bush and speaking about some or other stolen item which he was trying to sell.

They go looking for the bush but can’t find it and they just as they are about to give up, when they hear a voice coming their way. They quickly hide and when the thief appears they surround the little girl who breaks down and confesses. She is remorseful though and tells Sussie that she only took it because she’s never had a dream of her own. She wants to give it back and Sussie tells her that she can keep it, but the little girl says that it’s okay because now that she knows what dreams are she’s going to find one for herself.

Thank you to the UP Outreach program from Lettie de Klerk kids!

19 Julie 2011

Die rede hoekom ek die brief skryf is om dankie te sê vir die juffrouens en menere. Dit was baie lekker. Ek sê vir Juffrou Raine en Juffrou Yvette baie dankie omdat ons lekker saam gewerk het.

-         Berenice Borins

Liewe Juffrou Smit

Dit was baie lekker met juffrou om Engels en Afrikaans to skryf en dit was lekker met die ander juffrouens. Ek het gelike om my hande by die muur te plak en vrot eiertjie te speel en die sop was ook lekker. Die meneer wat die sop gemaak het ws baie, baie lekker en die ander juffrou het baie mooi geverf. Die biblioteek was mooi geplak en mooi geverf en die kaste ook. Juffrou Sam he tons die alfabet geleer, ons moet woorde skryf van dit, dit was ook lekker gewees en ons het by ‘n meneer uile geleer. Dit was baie lekker gewees en die juffrou wat die mense geleer he tom kameelperde to werk, dit was ook baie mooi en die ander juffrou wat vir ons laat prente teken en wiskunde leer, dit was vir my baie lekker. Ek was trots op dit en leer die ander kinders leer lees en plak papiere op die muur. Stuur groete aan almal. Ek is baie baie life vir almal.

-         Van Androlien

Die rede hoekom ek die brief skryf is om te sê baie, baie dankie vir Juffrou Raine and juffrou Yvette en Mnr Driaan. Ek het dit saam met julle geniet. Waneer kom julle weer vir ons kuier? Ons verlang vir julle. A.S.B. kom kuier weer vir ons. Skryf terug vir my. Ek het die Engels geniet. Die Engels was baie lekker en ek he took gehou van die verf en daai Engelse genid was baie lekker gewees en alles was baie lekker.

-         Van Caitlin

Project update.

I must apologise for not keeping you up to date over the past few weeks, but even though there was nothing happening here on the blog, the school was abuzz with activity. The holiday programme was not as well attended as I had anticipated but it went ahead nevertheless with an average group of eight kids although there was a Tuesday morning that was well below freezing where just three hardy little budding artists pitched. From the first workshop it was obvious that I needed to give the kids some sort of refreshment and thanks to David Muir I was able to supply sandwiches, fruit and some luxuries. During the last week of the school holidays a group of 22 students from the University of Pretoria arrived under the guidance of Kay Potts and the turn-out for their sessions was amazing. What was even more amazing though is the fact that with the additional manpower, the school's storeroom was attacked and I was blown away at what was found: suffice to say that no longer will the Lettie De Klerk Primary School need supplies for an arts programme! On behalf of the kids, the school and myself, I once again thank the UP Outreach for their efforts and dedication. If only I could now get some of the adults in the village and township interested and involved!

The past week I started with the regular art workshop and will soon be posting some of the letters and pictures that the kids wrote and drew by way of thank you. Saturday also saw the first rehearsal for the play 'Die Droomdief' which will be performed by the kids at the Fugard Festival in September. The auditions went well and roles were allocated with understudies to ensure that there are no unforeseen 'stay-aways' due to nerves. The next few weeks will be dedicated to rehearsals so that the kids thoroughly enjoy this opportunity.

UP Nieu Bethesda Outreach

The University of Pretoria Nieu Bethesda Outreach will be arriving in Pienaarsig with a bang next week. A group of second and third year students under the mentorship of Kay Potts who is the National Chairperson of the PPC Cement Young Concrete Sculptor Awards Competition. The Art Education Students who are volunteering their time, will be engaging in a week long outreach programme at the primary school which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the kids. The students will be offering academic turoring as well as creative workshops including dance, drama, music and painting. This Outreach is sponsored by PPC, the University, ArtWise Framers, The Association of Arts Pretoria and various private donors have been collecting books and art supplies for the school.  They have at least a year's worth of paints and the students are bringing brushes and paper and additional school supplies. Some of the outcomes from these creative sessions will be incorporated in the school ply which will be performed at the Fugard Festival here in Nieu Bethesda in September and the murals will undoubtedly serve to brighten up the classrooms and contribute to a conducive learning environment. Celia de Villers from UNISA who has set up several sustainable embroidery projects throughout the country will also be joining the UP contingent and will be liaising with Jenny Nel who is running an existing project with local women.

The Arts Project and the students and staff of Lettie de Klerk Primary School would like to thank the University of Pretoria and PPC for making this outreach possible!

Die Droom Dief

Die Kinders van Vandag!

The group song.. The Rough Cut... With young Anthony sitting in the background. He's a young boy with FAS who hangs out for the soup on Saturdays... And boy can he put it away!