Charles J. Fourie

Charles J. Fourie (born 1965, Potchefstroom)[1] is a South African writer and director working in television, film and theater.[2] Fourie staged his first play as a drama student at the Windybrow Theatre in 1985. In 2021/22 he received a writing and research fellowship from the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Studies to develop a new theater format involving artificial intelligence. His latest radio-drama series Alleenmandaat is currently broadcasting on SABC (Radio Sonder Grense). As of April 2022 he will engage a residency fellowship with the Posthuman Art Network and Foreign Objekt to further develop his latest creative project - AI Performance Narratives. Fourie's play The Parrot Woman was staged in September 2022 at the Market Theater in Johannesburg.[3]

Theater

Over the past thirty years Charles J. Fourie has written and staged over 60 different plays and cabarets presented in South Africa, the United Kingdom and USA. As writer and director he has also worked with well-known South African and British actors such as Linda Marlowe, Samantha Bond, Tobie Cronje, Chris Gxalaba, Vicky Kente, Jamie Bartlett, Trix Pienaar, Jarrid Geduld, and Deirdre Wolhuter to name a few.

His stories feature strong sociopolitical themes in award-winning historical and biographical plays such as Die Crazer, Big Boys, Don Gxubane onner die Boere, Vrygrond, Stander, Crime Babies, Vrededorp, Kurtz, The Parrot Woman, Goddess of Song, Demjanjuk, Braaivleis, The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife, and Agterplaas. More recent plays such as Vergifnis, Happy Sindane and Ella's Horses were staged to rave reviews at various arts festivals and received a Standard Bank Ovation award.

Other awards for his work include the SACPAC best play award, Fleur Du Cap best new play award, Maskew Miller Longman award for drama, KKNK Nagtegaal best new play award, Sanlam radio drama award, and on two occasions the Amstel playwright of the year award. Several of his play have also been published.

Fourie has also written numerous radio drama series for the SABC (Radio Sonder Grense) since 2003, and his most recent 60 episode radio drama series Alleenmandaat was broadcast in 2022 to rave reviews.

He received the South African Academy of Science and Arts Medal of Honor for radio drama in 2015 and won several awards for his radio dramas. As a film director he adapted four of his stage plays into films, which premiered on KykNET and SABC.

In recent years he was awarded a writing fellowship at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Studies in 2021 to develop a new project involving the use of artificial intelligence in a theater production, and in 2022 he received a virtual residency with the Posthuman Art Network and Foreign Objekt based in Germany and Sweden.

Fourie returns to the Market Theater as writer and director in 2022 after his last plays Vrygrond and Crime Babies were staged here. His play The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife is currently listed nation-wide as a set work for Grade 10 (English) learners.

Other writing
  • ALLEENMANDAAT (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2022)
  • GOUE KOORS (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2021)
  • BRULSAND (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2020)
  • RUST EN VREDE (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2019)
  • AGTERPLAAS (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2018)
  • TAMBOERYN (radio drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2017)
  • BINNELANDERS (drama series x 65 episodes) – KykNET (2016)
  • SACRIFICE (60 min radio drama feature) – BBC/UK (2016)
  • POTTIE POTGIETER – (drama series x 26 episodes) - SABC 2 (2015)
  • AGTERPLAAS – Silwerskerm Film Festival Feature - KykNET (2015)
  • BOGGOMSBAAI (drama series x 120 episodes) – Maroela Media (2015)
  • DEELTITEL-DAMES – (drama series x 13 episodes) – KykNET (2014)
  • HOME AFFAIRS – (drama series x 52 episodes) - SABC 3 (2014)
  • MONTANA – (drama series x 26 episodes) - SABC 1 (2014)
  • BOEKEPARADYS (drama series x 40 episodes) – Maroela Media (2014)
  • VERGIFNIS (60 min radio drama feature) SABC/RSG (2014)
  • SOS FAMILY OF MAN – (drama series x 52 episodes) - SABC 3 (2013)
  • SUBURBAN BLISS – (drama series x 26 episodes) - SABC 3 (2012)
  • PURGATORIO (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2012)
  • PARADISO (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2011)
  • VREDEDORP – (56 min Feature Film) – KykNET (2011)
  • STANDER – (56 min Feature Film) – KykNET (2011)
  • EILAND – (56 min Feature Film) – KykNET (2011)
  • INFERNO (drama series x 60 episodes) – SABC/RSG (2010)
  • SEISOENE (drama series x 60 episodes) –SABC/RSG (2009)
  • BESERINGSTYD (60 min radio drama feature) – SABC/RSG (2008)
  • PRAATMAAR (60 min radio drama feature) – SABC/RSG (2007)

Awards
  • Amstel playwright of the year 1988
  • AA Life Vita playwright of the year 1989
  • AA Life Vita best theatre production1989
  • Pot-Pourri festival best production award 1990
  • Standard Bank ‘pick of the fringe’ award 1990
  • Amstel playwright of the year award 1993
  • SACPAC best play of the year award 1994
  • Fleur du Cap award best play nomination 1995
  • Foundation for the Creative Arts award 1996
  • ABSA KKNK Kanna theatre award 1998
  • Sanlam/RSG/SABC radio drama award 2000
  • KKNK/Nagtegaal best drama play award 2006
  • Maskew Miller Longman Pearson literary award 2008
  • ATKV Woordveertjie nomination for best new play 2011
  • KykNET Fiesta awards nominated in six categories 2012
  • KykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival nomination best script & director 2014
  • South African Academy for Arts and Science Medal of Honor 2015
  • Sanlam/RSG/SABC Radio drama award winner for 2016
  • ATKV Woordveertjie nomination for best new play 2017
  • SAFTA best SA documentary nomination 2018
  • Rogovy Foundation Documentary award 2019
  • JIAS Creative Writing Fellowship 2021

Publications
  • Big Boys/More Market Theater Plays – Jonathan Ball Publishers 1993
  • Don Gxubane onner die Boere – New Contrast Publishers 1993
  • Vrygrond e.a. Dramas – Tafelberg Publishers 1994
  • Vonkfiksie – Human & Rousseau Publishers 1999
  • Vrededorp – Genugtig Publishers 2005
  • New South African Plays – Aurora Metro Publishers (UK) 2006
  • 'Kwintet' Ella se Perde – Maskew Miller Longman 2008
  • The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife – Maskew Miller Longman 2008
  • Droomskip e.a. Radio dramas – Nasou-Via Afrika 2009
  • Vrededorp – Protea Boekehuis 2011
  • The Lighthouse keeper's wife – NB Best Books 2015
  • Offer/Sacrifice – NB Best Books 2016
  • The Parrot Woman & other plays – Imagix Publications 2022

References
  1. "Charles J Fourie". Lit Net. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  2. "Fourie's Mouthpiece for the Curious". Mail & Guardian. 30 September 1994. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  3. Maripane, Kgomotso Moncho (18 September 2022). "Remembering black people's suffering and presence in the Anglo-Boer War with The Parrot Woman". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
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