GRAHAM WEIR

Height: 1.8
Hair: Brown – Grey
Eyes: Brown
Languages: English/Afrikaans
Vocal: High Tenor (top C in full voice)

Training

NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN DRAMATIC ART- PRETORIA TECHNIKON 1980.

Theatre, drama and comedy

Spent four years as actor with Performing Arts Council of Transvaal 1981-84 during which time appeared in 24 productions including roles such as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night (nominated as best actor D.a.l.r.o. Awards). Over the past 25 years have been seen in productions for all the major South African Producers in musicals (lead roles include ) productions of JC Superstar, Sweeny Todd, Queen At The Opera, Hair and many more. Shakespeare productions include roles in Maynardville open air Theatre in Winters Tale, As You Like It, Two Gentlemen Of Verona and soon to be seen in The Merchant of Venice as Antonio. Musical Director and songwriter for Maynardville on two occasions. Self penned and produced work include :acting in the multi award winning Brief Descriptions 2, Tales from a dark Corner, Pyschodelic Cowboy and Sister Nun, and the critically acclaimed Letters from Patient Essop which ran at the Baxter Theatre in 2002, A Circus Side Show and Noah Of Cape Town both at Artscape, Cape Town.

Cabaret

Founder member of South Africa’s most enduring theatrical success story, the accapella\ comedy ensemble NOT THE MIDNIGHT MASS, Mass have recorded 5 CDs over the years and will perform their 21st Birthday season at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre on the Bay in Dec 2008, Jan 2009.Other cabaret highlights include the self penned musical - PSYCHODELIC COWBOY AND SISTER NUN which played from1992- 1996, THE STOMPNEUS VARKIES,. Currently Performing in SONGS OF HANGINGS AND REDEMPTIONS at various theatres and Graham Weir plugged at the Kalk bay theatre in July 2008.

Recent projects

1} NOAH OF CAPE TOWN
An accapella musical, book by Graham Weir and Megan Choritz and Music by Graham Weir. A scaled down version of the show presented in Cantata form was performed in September 2005 at the Artscape Arena Theatre. A full-scale production in the 600 seater Artscape Theatre will be produced in 2009 April.
2) Published a book of short stories and plays called HOW GRAHAM WEIR HAS ACCIDENTALLY MANAGED TO STAY ALIVE”. The play of the same title was launched at the Grahamstown Festival 2002
3) Wrote music, musically directed and acted in HOUSE OF USHER at the Little Theatre, Cape Town during Dec 2002.
4) NOT THE MIDNIGHT MASS, An all- male version of the accapella ensemble at On Broadway.
5) Numerous staged readings for the Baxter Theatre Company’s “ Playground” series.
6) BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS 2 at Darling Festival. 2005
7) ‘JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN – Baxter Theatre - 2005
8) SONGS OF HANGINGS AND REDEMPTION 2007 Grahamstown Festival, Kalk Bay Theatre and Intimate Theatre Cape Town.
9) BEETHOVEN in a new South African play BEETHOVEN IN RAPTUS at Artscape and Hilton Arts Festival 2007
10) A CIRCUS SIDE SHOW as Franco at Artscape 2007
11) THE MECHANT OF VENICE as Antonio in Maynardville open air Theatre 2007/8
12) LETTERS FROM PATIENT ESSOP at Intimate Theatre Cape Town

Scriptwriting

Wrote and produced the following work in various theatres around South Africa
1986 Bobo performed in Grahamstown and Johaannesburg
1987 Brief Descriptions 1 Performed in Grahamstown and Johannesburg
1988 Barney is making a party Performed in Johannesburg.
1992 Pschodelic Cowboy and Sister Nun Cape Town, Johannesburg, Grahamstown.
1994 Brief Descriptions 2 Grahamstown, Cape Town, Johannesburg
1997 Graham Weir's Elastic Band Grahamstown and Cape Town
1998 Tales from a dark corner Grahamstown and Cape Town
2000 Letters From Patient Essop Grahamstown and Cape Town
2001 Craneman Grahamstown and Cape Town
2002 how Graham Weir has accidentally managed to stay alive - Grahamstown and Cape Town
2003 Graham Weir Plugged - Cape Town
2005 Noah of Cape Town - Artscape Theatre, Cape town
2007. A Circus Side Show - Artscape Theatre, Cape Town

In addition to the above have written and directed corporate scripts for groups like ESCOM, Waterford Wine Estate, and Cape Talk Radio etc.

Songwriting

Primary song- writer for Not The Midnight Mass, as well as compositions for many of the scripts listed above. In 1998 wrote the songs for ARTSCAPE'S Maynardville Shakespeare '''As you like it'. Wrote music, vocal arrangements and musically directed '' Noah of Cape Town''. Wrote the music for ''The House of Usher’, (Little Theatre Hiddingh Campus, Dec 2002) and A Circus Side Show

Recordings

1991- Not The Midnight Mass -Mass Hysteria 1
1993- Joburg pops- with SABC orchestra
1994-Best of the pops- with SABC orchestra
1994- Not The Midnight Mass- Live at dock rd
1996- Not The Midnight Mass- Mass hysteria 2
1999- Not the Midnight Mass-Karmageddon
2002- Not the midnight Mass- Live At The Planetarium
2002- Letters From Patient Essop.
2005- Noah Of Cape Town. ( not released for public yet.)
2007- Songs Of Hangings and Redemption.

Awards received

1991 Evening Standard award- best cabaret performance
1992 DALRO award -best cabaret performance
1994 Vita regional award- best original script
1994 Vita regional - best production (Brief descriptions 2)
1994 Vita awards - production of the year of a new South African Play (Brief Descriptions 2)
1994 Vita award - South African Playwright of the year- (Brief Descriptions 2)

Nominations for best actor

1982 DALRO awards- Twelfth Night
1994 vita awards - Brief Descriptions 2
1997 Fleur Du Cap awards -The Winters Tale.
2002 Vita awards - Letters From Patient Essop
2002 Fleur Du Cap awards- House of Usher
2005 Fleur Du Cap awards – Jesus hopped the A train.
2006 Fleur Du Cap awards – Songs of Hangings and Redemption

Nominations for best script

1993 Letters From Patient Essop - Vita Awards
2002 House of Usher – Fleur du cap

Nominations for Best performance in a musical

2007 Letters From Patient Essop
2007 A Circus Side Show.

Television

Have appeared in many television series and dramas over the past twenty years, most recent include
1998- Cape Town Blues (Germany)
1998- Sinbad -Canada
2000- SOS - ETV -South Africa
2002- Madam and Eve – SABC- South Africa
2004- Stars over Madeira (Germany)
2004- Zero Tolerance – South Africa
2004- Isidingo – South Africa
2006 – Orion – SA
2008 – The Devil’s Whore – International 4 Part Mini-Series

Feature Films

Appearances in sixteen feature films, most recently
1998- The Hangman’s Daughter (U S A)
1999 -Boesman and Lena (U S A)
2002- The piano player (France)
2002- Charlie (U.K.)
2002- Proteus (S.A\ Canada)
2003-The missing witness (Universal studios-U S A)
2006- Goodbye Bafana- A Billy August Film ( UK and Film Africa)
2007- Fliesh (Germany)

Short films include

2001 Raya
1998 -played the title role in the award winning-WHALEMAN

Commercials

Most recent include:
2000 Lunch Bar (South Africa)
2002 Cubis Clothing (Norway)
2002Captain Birds eye (Britain)
2002 Denys Food products (Eire)
2003 Toyota Run X (South Africa)