Rista Watts performs in Pringle Bay. R50!

Pringle Bay’s much-loved pharmacist Rista Watts steps out from behind the pharmacy counter and into the spotlight for a very special Pringle Proms afternoon of performance, poetry and storytelling.

Many Pringle Bay residents know Rista as their local pharmacist, but fewer may know about the performer, painter and poet behind that familiar face. Drama and creativity have been part of her life since childhood, and this special event offers an opportunity to discover another side of one of our community’s best-known personalities.

Rista will present “Life”, “Lag” and “Lewe” — three performances drawing on her rich life experience and lifelong love of language, storytelling and the stage. Expect an afternoon that moves between humour, reflection and deeply personal storytelling.

Born and raised in Springs, Gauteng, Rista grew up with a schoolteacher mother who had a passionate belief in drama and creative theatre. From childhood eisteddfods and school productions, her love of performance continued while she studied pharmacology at Potchefstroom University, where she also completed a diploma in drama in her spare time.

Over the years she has appeared in plays, delivered monologues, spoken at functions and performed poetry, including some of her own writing. More recently she appeared in the short film Padlangs, playing the ouma in a family on a road trip. Filmed near Paternoster, the film has also been screened on VIA TV.

Rista is equally passionate about visual art, particularly portrait and still-life painting in oils. Creativity runs deep in her family: she is the great-great-granddaughter of Victorian painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts (1817–1904), whose works include Hope, Love and Life. His monumental sculpture Physical Energy can be seen at Rhodes Memorial in Cape Town.

Rista moved permanently to Pringle Bay in November 2011 and has since become a familiar and much-loved member of the wider community.

Pringle Proms host Brian Berkman says: “Rista is exactly the kind of extraordinary person this community is full of — someone whose talents extend far beyond what most people see. We are thrilled to give her a proper stage.”

Advanced tickets purchased before October 10 are R50 each. At the door: R100 in cash. R120 with card.

Brian Berkman will have a selection of food and drinks available for sale at the venue. Come hungry.