Focus on Ilke König

You have worked as crew, both locally and internationally, recently as the Production Manager of an Australian cooking show. What is your most memorable experience of this production?

The nature of the show is very fun as it’s a traveling food show. At each destination we received the best accommodation, drinks, food and adventures to film and experience. A memorable one is our crew of seven stranded in the middle of Pondoland at a very isolated Natural Selection Lodge called Gwe Gwe Beach Lodge. There was unrest in the villages and, of course, only one gravel road out. Believe me, we didn’t want to complain about staying longer, but we had a very strict travel and shoot schedule with a plane waiting for us on the other side. With the looming deadline, I had to organise a last-minute private charter plane out and we got to see Pondoland from above. Let me confirm, we do have a unique and beautiful country.

When did you realise you would like to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?

After watching a film Almost Famous in high school, I thought, “Damn, I want to be able to make someone feel something,” like I felt watching Almost Famous. The next week I dropped out of my accounting class and took on drama as a subject. I never looked back.

You are currently the first-year theatre facilitator at PALI. What do you enjoy most about working with the students?

I absolutely love it! It’s one of the most rewarding things to see a student grow in their craft (after all, we want them to be better than us, not like us). I also get the sweet benefit of keeping my own theatre basics sharp by teaching them.

You trained at PALI yourself, what is your favourite memory of your time as a student? Was there perhaps a favourite production?

This is a difficult one, there are so many good memories. Looking back on them some highlights would definitely be walking the catwalk at PALI’s fashion show with Tiaan Slabbert, performing at Grahamstown in Johann Smith’s Cabaret, The Gods of my Country, the legendary Shareen Swart, directing us in The Crucible, portraying the wacky character of Cookie in Neil Simon’s, Rumors, our Aardklop run of Fragment, a play written by Zoë Hare… the list of great memories and meeting incredibly talented people along the way, goes on and on and on and on.

⁠⁠Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

Some days and projects are more difficult than others. Just show up. Your mindset and attitude is just as important as your skill.

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