Energy to create
“WE ARE too young to be fighting,” says 24-year-old Sibusiso Khwinana, founding member of the Independent Theatre Makers Movement. “Instead, we use our energy to create new things”.
There is a new generation of young theatre makers who are making their mark in the expansion of the local theatre industry. They are on fire for change. They are persistent in the creating of new opportunities in their pursuit for transformation in the performing arts.
At a time when there is so much talk about de-colonisation and Africanisation, it is encouraging to consider the acumen of the youth. Khwinana emphasises that such transformation should not imply the eradication of one thing in the establishing of another. For them, as an alternative, transformation is an undertaking to create more options, which, in co-existence, serve an industry representative of the full spectrum of South African artists.
“What we are indeed fighting for is the craft,” Khwinana continues. “How do we as young African artists move forward?” he asks.
He explains the objective of the Independent Theatre Makers Movement is to establish a generation of self-reliant artists who trail-blaze autonomy in the making of theatre.
This implies not only autonomy in their freedom to express what they choose, but also in funding and managing their endeavours themselves.
Khwinana emphasises that this thrust towards independence indicates an end to a mentality of complaining about the lack of opportunities, and instead, the fostering of an attitude that promotes problem solving and development.
As a group of entrepreneurs, the movement encourages young artists to take ownership of their work and to acknowledge the potential in themselves. “We help artists discover that they can do things for themselves,” Khwinana says.
He explains that the movement is not opposed to national theatres. Instead, they wish to operate in synergy with existing theatres, especially considering the abundance of new theatre work which existing theatres presently cannot facilitate.
The Independent Theatre Makers Movement was birthed from
circumstance. “We had a wealth of material, but nowhere to perform it,” Khwinana explains. They approached the Tshwane Arts Hub, situated in what used to be a fire station opposite the Pretoria City Hall in central Pretoria. They were given a rehearsal space; the group quickly recognised the potential of the space to be transformed into a theatre.
Three companies bought into the vision – Blank Page Entertainment, TX Productions and Black Ink Productions. In their collaborating, they pooled their skills and resources and erected a theatre tailor made for hosting theatre productions of a variety of formats. The theatre is fittingly called The Fire Station Theatre.
The theatre opened with a Monologue Festival in October last year, for which 30 performers were selected. This was followed by the Sona Festival (State of the Nation Festival), which focused on political theatre. In August this year, celebrating Women’s Month, the
group will be hosting the Kuwamba Women’s Theatre Festival, in which 15 theatre works, all written and directed by women, will be featured. Following this will be another Monologue Festival in October.
Interspersed the theatre hosts productions as proposed to them by interested artists and theatre groups. They also present workshops, theatre talks and writer’s forums.
As a priority the movement is actively engaged in the garnering of new audiences. With such a variety of artists and the unique work they offer, new audiences continually visit the theatre.
Khwinana is delighted by how many of these audience members are now regularly returning for more. Their growth in audiences can also be attributed to their growing network of enthusiasts who collaborate and offer support in the attracting of new interest.
Be sure not to miss Khwinana’s latest production, Best Friends, Worst Enemies, which is going to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown this week. The work is written and directed by Khwinana. It will be performed from June 30 to July 2 on the Fringe Festival in the Library Hall.
Khwinana concludes with: “We do what works for us. Ultimately this means empowering ourselves.”
Not bad considering the notoriety with which the millennial generation is so often perceived.
The Independent Theatre Makers Movement can be contacted at Blankpage.ent@gmail.com; Facebook at Blankpage Entertainment, and Instagram at @blankpage Entertainment.