For the past 36 years Marthinus Basson has worked as props master, stage manager, actor, photographer, designer, director and more recently as lecturer at the Drama Department of the University of Stellenbosch. He has explored most theatre disciplines, from educational to industrial, from Drama to Opera.
He started his career at the first multiracial theatre company in South Africa - the Cape Town based The People's Space Theatre. He subsequently worked for most of the major companies in South Africa as well as ARCA in Gent, Belgium and Opera Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He is fellow founder of a leading SA production house, VLEIS, RYS en AARTAPPELS, producing new South African writing as well as the classics. Some of his most important productions as director and designer include Cock & Bull Story, Ek, Anna van Wyk, Cabaret, Tosca, Salome, Boy meets Boy, Antony and Cleopatra, Johnny Cockroach, Anatomy Titus/Fall of Rome, Spring Awakening, AARS!, Playing the Victim, Slaghuis, The Tempest, Maria de Buenos Aires and Long Day's Journey into Night. He has a special affinity for the works of Puccini, Heiner Muller, Botho Strauss, Peter Verhelst, Ibsen and Shakespeare.
He has worked extensively with South Africa's mojor playwright, Reza de Wet and the two most renowned South African poets, Antjie Krog and Breyten Breytenbach. His production of Tall Horse for the Handspring Puppet Company was seen in Germany and America. His latest production was Beethoven's Fidelio for the Queensland Opera in Brisbane, Australia.
He received several Fleur Du Cap awards for directing and design, the Standard Bank Young Artist's Award, The Academy of Arts and Science's Medal for his contribution to South African Theatre and the Nederburg Opera Award for his production of Cavaliera Rusticana.
Mnr. Marthinus Basson 
