South African theatre,blossoming...

source: http://www.google.com/

Theatre started in the late 1830s and to this day, it still exists and is more popular than before. Most of the people who are now known to be ‘movie stars’ started as stage actors in a theatrical production where they were discovered by producers who were looking for some new and raw talent. So in all, theatre is a good foundation for acting and if you can master theatre then you’ll blossom behind the cameras.

According to source the British troops felt a lack of distraction among a community that mostly spoke Dutch. That is when some of the officers began to stage amateur theatricals in what came to be known as the Garrison Theatre in Cape Town. The first companies to play on its boards were very amateur and mostly recruited from the garrison. Plays of every kind were staged there.

Sophiatown - production

Two or three short plays would be staged on one night in a reconstructed warehouse or store. Regimental bands often provided music for these non-military enterprises. People who attended theatre productions were mostly European, either administrative or military.

Source: http://www.google.com/

Today's theatre is more different. There are new themes, stories, and new directors.  The South African protest theatre which was an amplifier for the struggle for liberation transported the voices of freedom fighters across stages of the townships and the world. Great names like Mbongeni Ngema and Gibson Kente trained a generation of great talent that needed to flourish.

Previously politicized events, cultural treasures, personal stories and contemporary social issues are now being developed and staged by artists. Social issues like unemployment, crime, alcoholism and domestic violence are being explored afresh. Examples of these theatre productions are:

v  Aubrey Sekhabi’s ‘On My Birthday’, set in a black middle-class environment, focuses on domestic violence and adultery.

v  Thulani Mtshali’s ‘Weemen’, highlights domestic abuse but with an ending that shows an empowered victim who supported the abuser throughout his rehabilitation.

v  Sello Maake Ka-Ncube’s  ‘Kose Kuse Bash’, a portrayal of urban township partying and how an innocent search for fun can turn sour and lead to broken dreams and tragedy.

v  Johnny Loate’s ‘Cabbage and Bullets’, which won the Windybrow Arts Festival FNB Vita Award. ‘Cabbages and Bullets’ tells the story of two unemployed ex-Mkhonto weSizwe guerrillas who feel their struggle has gone unrecognized and so they turn to alcohol, drugs and crime out of frustration. source

It is definitely clear that the theatre in South Africa is doing very well for itself and even though it went through some difficult routes, it has reached  a point where it focuses on important and real  issues that affects people all around and not only the funny and fun stuff.