ABOUT ARTS OF MIND
Hannelie Swart is a visual artist and a creative industry specialist with a passion for community arts development and community healing through creative arts. She obtained her BA (Honours): Visual Arts (1984) and Honours in Cultural History (1991) at the University of Pretoria. She is also trained in Community Art Counselling (2001-2003) by the Lefika La Phodosa Community Art Counselling Centre and Training Institute. She advanced her studies at UNISA (2015-2018) and completed a Masters in Visual Arts. In her Masters research she focused on the multiphrenic self and identity within postmodern society. She participated in the following exhibitions, Group Exhibition, Springs Art Gallery 1997 and Healing through Creative Arts Exhibition, Museum Africa, Johannesburg, 2002.
Hannelie Swart presented the Presence of Alice series of installations at the UNISA Art Gallery in October 2017, as part of fulfilling the requirements for the Masters in Visual Arts Degree. Hannelie Swart presented various workshops focusing on healing through creative arts and has 30 years’ experience in community arts development and healing . The workshops she was involved in include creative arts as healing, train the trainer in creative arts, creative arts development workshop, concept and theme development for grade 10-12 art students, team building using art as healing techniques and mandala workshops.
Phillru van Achterbergh is a multi-award winning actor, producer, director, scriptwriter and voice artist. With over 10 years of professional experience in Performing arts, dramaturgy, television and film. Co-owner of Sessions Entertainment that focuses on music tours and festivals. And director of Imagine That! Entertainment. Studied BA Drama and film at TUT and was awarded with multiple awards including performer of the year in 2013. Played in over 20 professional theatre shows that toured to all the major festivals in South Africa which includes KKNK, AARDKLOP, VRYFEES and INNIBOS.
Also performed on the OPPIWATER KUNSTEFEES, on the MSC from Durban to Mozambique and Cape town to Namibia. Naledi nominee for his performance as Andre Myburg in the award winning production Porselein in 2016/2017. Creator, director, producer and writer of both “Die Laaste Mango and Light Warrior productions. Currently acting in the Afrikaans television show “Binnelanders” as Clint Erasmus. Also the voice of “Die Baard” on the television program “Baard, Bos en Kos” on the VIA Channel. He has a passion for the arts and performing arts, and believes that through drama and drama techniques we can help people to heal their body, mind and soul.
Anmari van Achterbergh entered the world of theatre and drama at a very young age and at 14 played a role in the play “ Horings” at the Klein Karoo Kunstefees. She studied Drama and Film at TUT (Tshwane University of Technology) where she specialised in directing. She won the award for the best director for her play “Bar and Ger”. She is part the drama and theatre world as a professional for 14 years. Her professional experience includes radio presenting at East Rand Stereo. She played various roles in different farce productions by Lefra Productions. The last role is in “My oom se vrou se plekkie” that is touring South Africa and playing at various big Art Festivals in 2020. She also directed the musical “Stardust” that won 14 SANCTA awards.
She also directed the play “ Geboorte” for the University of Pretoria Kopanong Art Festival and also played at the Free State Art Festival and Redfest Festival in Sandton. Anmari is also a lecturer at the Keyboard Drama and Music School that is affiliated by Trinity College of London. She also works with students that are physically disabled and students with autism using drama as a tool of healing. She is also part of HATS (Health Awareness Theatre Solutions) and edutainment theatre company. She also works on the Lefra Productions Revue Competition, Reality Show for the VIS Channel as a production assistant. Drama, music, art and directing is her passions is life.
Charl Henning acquired his B.A Drama and Theatre Arts Degree in 2015, B.A Drama and Theatre Arts Honours Degree in 2016 and is currently busy finishing up his final year of B.A Drama and Theatre Arts M.A Degree through the University of the Free State. Charl’s M.A explores the value of improvisation in scripted theatre performance through the framework of presence, specializing in improvisation. During his studies, Charl started to work as a part time practical lecturer in Voice and Speech, Acting and Improvisation from 2016-2019 at the UFS Drama Department. Charl started his professional theatre career in 2014 and since then, consistently participated in numerous festivals like Woordfees, Inniebos, National Arts Festival, KKNK and Free State Arts Festival from 2014-2019 and is still active. He was involved in projects that won numerous awards which includes Best Free State Arts Festival Fringe Production 2017 (Tok Tok),
Best One Man Show at Free Sate Arts Festival 2019 (Die Hart Verklap) which was also nominated for a Fiesta Award 2019; Best Duo at the Free State Arts Festival 2019 (The Island) that was also nominated for a Fiesta Award 2019. In 2018 Charl was invited to the IUGTE International Summer School of Physical Theatre presented by the Ostrenko brothers in Austria, where he completed an international accredited course on Physical Theatre and Improvisation from one of the world’s most influential theatre practitioners. Charl has over 3 years’ experience in presenting improvisation based workshops for university students, scholars and community members. In 2019 Charl collaborated with the UFS Psychology department and presented a Psychodrama based workshop for a high school that focused on social issues destroying the youth in South – Africa today.
