Most Pringle Bay residents know Rista Watts as the trusted face behind the pharmacy counter. Fewer know about the performer, painter and poet on the other side of that familiar smile. A special Pringle Proms afternoon is about to change that.
Watts will take to the stage to present three performances — Life, Lag and Lewe — drawing on her rich life experience and lifelong love of language, storytelling and the stage. The afternoon promises to move between humour, reflection and deeply personal storytelling.
A creative life, from the beginning
Born and raised in Springs, Gauteng, Watts grew up in a household where drama and creativity were not extras — they were essentials. Her mother, a schoolteacher, had a passionate belief in theatre and the arts, and Watts was performing in eisteddfods and school productions from an early age.
That love of the stage followed her to Potchefstroom University, where she studied pharmacology. True to form, she also completed a diploma in drama in her spare time — proof, perhaps, that a life behind the dispensary counter was never going to tell the whole story.
Stage, screen and the written word
Over the years, Watts 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 grandmother in a family on a road trip. Filmed near Paternoster, the film has also been screened on VIA TV.
Her creative reach extends beyond performance. Watts is equally passionate about visual art, with a particular love of portrait and still-life painting in oils.
A remarkable family heritage
Creativity, it seems, runs deep in the Watts family. Rista is the great-great-granddaughter of Victorian painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts (1817–1904), whose celebrated works include Hope, Love and Life. His monumental sculpture Physical Energy is on permanent display at Rhodes Memorial in Cape Town — a fitting connection for a woman who has made the Western Cape her home.
Watts moved permanently to Pringle Bay in November 2011 and has since become a much-loved member of the wider community.
A proper stage for an extraordinary person
Pringle Proms host Brian Berkman is delighted to be putting the spotlight on one of the community’s own.
“Rista is exactly the kind of extraordinary person this community is full of — someone whose talents extend far beyond what most people see,” Berkman said. “We are thrilled to give her a proper stage.”
Berkman will have a selection of food and drinks available for sale at the venue.
Tickets
Advanced tickets purchased before 10 October are R50 each. At the door: R100 in cash, or R120 by card.
