“Zase Laduma Arts Projects are making a name for themselves among community theatre groups and won numerous 2011 SANCTA Festival prizes for ‘The Perfect Problem’. The judges were really impressed by the standard they set with The Perfect Problem,” said manager of the Best of the Best festival, Tonderai Chiyindiko.Second Prize of R5 000 went to Cape Town-based group Africa Jam with the play ‘Uhlazo’ who are also 2011 Zabalaza Festival Winners and the Hillbrow Theatre Project earned R3000 for their performance of ‘Ga Sepatala’ which won the 2011 Inner City Schools’ Drama Festival. B & T Productions came all the way from Port Elizabeth, but their play ‘My Bra Se Tjirrie’ walked off with R1 000.
“Many of the participants are non-profit organisations and put on productions dealing with issues that affect their communities and the country,” said Chiyindiko. “A festival like Best of the Best doesn't just acknowledge the work these groups do by awarding them prize money. These community festivals give them a platform to showcase their talented community members, and also give them a platform to ensure that their voices are heard and their stories are told.”
The festival, which was hosted by Sibikwa Arts Centre in Benoni, attracted a wide variety of theatre groups from around South Africa as well as within the SADC region. Regional participants expected included groups from Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho but they could not make it for various reasons. In the end we had one group from Botswana and two from Zimbabwe.
The judges included Dr Robert Malcolm Mclaren co-founder of South African theatre organisation, Workshop ’71, and Zimbabwean arts education trust, CHIPAWO; award-winning and accomplished artist and acclaimed playwright, director, actor and cultural activist Gamakhulu Diniso; and award-winning actress Motshabi Tyelele.
“The festival gave us a powerful and challenging view of the Rainbow nation - and its neighbours - from the grassroots,” said Mclaren. “For two days we were taken on nearly 30 short but compelling journeys through themes and stories from all over the country and in seven different languages. Theatre is vibrant and alive, if disturbing - the question is, is society?”
His sentiments were echoed by Tyelele, who commented that all but one play was on violence – “it was a bit disturbing to see that the common themes of all the shows was violence in society. But rather than feel upset about the content of the plays, people should be motivated by the content to make a difference in their own lives.
“It was a really wonderful experience. It's a good initiative by Sibikwa. The festival made me realise how important theatre is in these communities and there is a need for professionals to get involved in mentoring these young artists. There is a lot of talent in these communities and they could thrive with some professional guidance.”
ENDS
Media Queries
Bridget van Oerle/ Christabel Zulu
BUZ Publicity
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christabel@buz.co.za
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