Project helps theatre come alive

FROM the violation of women to racism and gangsterism, young scriptwriters and actors in the Bay are tackling heavy topics through an arts project aimed at, "giving them wings".

The collective theatre project Stage Flight, run by the Performing National Arts Network of South Africa (Pansa), will see scripts written by youngsters between the ages of 15 and 25 staged at the Savoy Theatre from the end of the month.

Started in January, the project saw aspirant scriptwriters undertake a script writing course conducted by well-known writer and actor David Fick. Fick, who has just returned to Cape Town following a successful run of his show You Bet Your Life at the National Arts Festival, hails from Port Elizabeth and has a MA in Theatre and Performance from the University of Cape Town.

Following the workshops, Fick chose five scripts which will come to life on stage between July 30 and August 2.

From March, Pansa ran 14 other workshops that covered all aspects of theatre production.

Production manager for Pansa, Rose Cowpar, hailed the process a major success saying that in total 260 people attended the workshops.

"From each workshop we selected or asked for volunteers to participate in the project to build up a complete production team to cover each of the five plays.

"Every young person involved in the project has been mentored at each step along the way so that they learn and grow as they put their learning into action working on the final performances.

Cowpar said the production's name was a fun way to sum up the project.

"Stage Flight is a nice play on words as we feel we are taking the youth from having little confidence in their selected area and giving them wings to fly," Cowpar said.

Young director, Grade 11 pupil Miliswa Mbandazayo, will tackle the weighty subject of ukuthwalwa as a first time director in a play called Nimbandini.

She said ukuthwalwa is a Xhosa tradition whereby a young man would take a young girl – either willingly or unwillingly – with or without the permission of her parents as his wife.

"With regards to Nimbandini, the girl was unwillingly taken without permission and subjected to abuse by her "husband".

Speaking about her pride in tackling the subject Mbandazayo, a pupil at Theodor Herzl said: "I am most proud of the fact that although it is written in isiXhosa it still touches people regardless of their understanding of the language.

"I am proud of the fact that it holds a mirror to society, to show people some of the horrors that many believe to be long-forgotten such the abuse of the tradition ukuthwalwa.

"I feel that it will touch audiences and make them aware of what is happening in parts of SA and speak for all women in the world who have been victims of abuse.

"The abuse and violation of the rights of young girls happens all over the world."

First year NMMU student Sinazo Lobishe, who takes on the lead role in Nimbandini shares Mbandazayo passion for the production saying she was inspired to audition as the show is in the vernacular. "It tackles something that I haven't been exposed to, the tradition of  which is still being practised to this day."

The young actress is looking forward to proving that despite the show being performed in isiXhosa it is one that audiences of all languages would understand.

"I am mostly proud of the physical theatre part of the play as it has helped to bring out one of the most emotional parts of the play while also interpreting it to the non-Xhosa speaking audience," she said.

Tickets for Stage Flight cost R40 and are available through Computicket and - Deon van der Walt