Latest news with #BiancaAmato
The Citizen
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Bianca Amato's journey to become a queen of theatre
Amato's focus is now on rebuilding a strong theatre audience in South Africa. Bianca Amato walked away from Broadway, turned down a steady stream of American screen work, and left behind a career many would still be trying to break into. She came home. Not because the work had dried up. On the contrary, she came back to South Africa to raise a family, and to do the kind of work she wanted to do. Amato spent 15 years in the United States after leaving South Africa in 2002. She returned about eight years ago. 'I left South Africa just after 9/11,' she said. 'And I had an extraordinary time.' During those years, she performed in The Coast of Utopia and Macbeth on Broadway, and featured in Arcadia, Neva, The Broken Heart, Private Lives, and King Lear. She worked with respected directors and actors across New York and regional stages. Her screen credits include a guest appearance on Sex and the City and a lead in Powers on the PlayStation Network. In addition to theatre and television, she voiced more than forty audiobooks, including Philippa Gregory's historical novels and Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, which reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list. 'I was on Broadway a few times' 'I did a lot, a lot of theatre in New York and regionally around the United States,' she said. 'Also, I was on Broadway a few times. I worked with amazing people.' She chose to leave that all behind. 'I left New York at a point where my career was really buzzing. I made a choice to come home. It was the right choice for me, it was a strong choice and I'm happy to be here, all the more so now,' she said. 'I wanted to have a baby and for my husband and I it felt really, really appropriate to be back home in South Africa with our family and with support and the community that we have here.' ALSO READ: Film extraordinary: Bono's Stories of Surrender Before her international career, Amato was already a familiar face in South Africa. From 1998 to 2001, she played Philippa De Villiers in Isidingo, then one of the country's most watched shows. Her character's relationship with mine manager Derek Nyathi, played by Hlomla Dandala, marked the first interracial romance portrayed on South African television. 'It was wonderful to be part of the slow but healthy process that changed people's attitudes,' she said at the time. The role earned her an Avante Award for best actress. 'I put on my big girl pants' Returning to South Africa meant reassessing what kind of roles were available locally. 'It has been a challenge to find the kind of work that I was able to do over there here,' she said. 'So, I have had to put on my big girl pants and say, 'right, let's create that work then'.' That decision led to the founding of The Quickening Theatre Company with Ken Siewe Chabalala, Charlotte Butler and Paige Bonnen. 'Our objective is to bring really entertaining and beautifully penned and excellently crafted theatre to the South African audiences,' she said. 'We are very excited about the projects that we're going to do and the projects we are doing at the moment.' Part of her focus now is on rebuilding a strong theatre audience. 'What we haven't done in South Africa for a long time is to keep cultivating an audience who appreciates things that may ask a little bit more of you as an audience, that's not completely escapist,' she said. 'But there are so many gorgeous and funny and delicious and interesting and thought-provoking plays out there.' Nothing like really good theatre She said that live performance stands out from other forms of entertainment. 'When you put on a show on Netflix, you're aiming for something that's going to transport you and entertain you. The same can be said for a really good piece of theatre. It's just that it's old-fashioned in that it's live, right there in front of you.' She added that there is a strong case to be made for this. 'I wonder now, given that AI is everywhere, whether or not we're going to start hungering for the fact that we'll know that the person in front of us actually is flesh and blood,' she said. NOW READ: Netflix confirms premiere date for 'Squid Game' final season
IOL News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Bianca Amato takes centre stage: a look at 'A Doll's House Part 2' and South Africa's flourishing theatre scene
Bianca Amato with Zane Meas in 'A Doll's House Part 2'. Image: Supplied South African stage and TV actress Bianca Amato has a wealth of experience working in the US, with several Broadway shows and appearances in 'Blue Bloods', 'Elementary' and 'The Big C', under her belt. On home soil, she's celebrated for her role in 'Binnelanders' and theatre credentials. Currently starring in "A Doll's House Part 2" at Theatre on the Square, she shared her excitement about the production and discussed how its reception compares to her international experiences. 'While I was in the US, I witnessed and was part of a very robust culture of theatre-going, both in New York City (NYC) and regionally. I'm not sure how it is now, though, as the climate has changed somewhat since Covid. "But NYC is a very vital place theatrically, and I long to invest in and cultivate the same kind of joy and discernment with our company's work here in South Africa,' she revealed.. 'I feel very lucky to have performed in 1500-seaters to full houses, night after night, across the US, and to feel a part of something that is very validated, very cared for, and invested in. It was such a gift. 'And now I am experiencing SA audiences for the first time in 25 years doing this show, and I must say Joburb audiences, even when small, are really bubbly and responsive and vocally appreciative.' "A Doll's House Part 2" centres on Nora Helmer (Amato) walking away from her husband and children in 1879. She yearns for independence. However, fifteen years later, she returns home with a request that rocks the family. The script is cleverly penned to inspire debate while also offsetting the tense moments with comic levity. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Biana Amato in a scene from 'A Doll's House Part 2'. Image: Supplied On slipping into the skin of Nora, opposite Zane Meas, Charlotte Butler and Simone Neethling, she shared: 'I have had a challenge with Nora, as her choices are different to mine. And the choices she makes are very incendiary. "But I fully respect her and her path. I see her as an activist, in a sense, as someone who feels the weight of greater things driving her. For people with that kind of purpose-driven life, sacrifices inevitably need to be made. 'And there is absolute logic and clarity in her decisions. The issues arise because her choices are not selfless. And oftentimes, society finds women who are not soft and maternal, women who put their own journeys first, to be abhorrent. Whereas men are forgiven for that all the time, even celebrated. 'So when I live in Nora, I have to shed my subconscious judgement, and honour her truth, her guts, her fierce honesty, her wit, and her purpose. And I also have to embrace her hubris. The wonderful thing about the play, the brilliant thing, is that each character is flawed, and none of them are wholly right. 'But they each have valid and totally relatable viewpoints. As an audience member, you are allowed to look at relationships through these four lenses and choose your side. And I guarantee you'll change your mind a few times.
