Keisha Singh
AMEERA Patel has won the Naledi Theatre Award in the category of best supporting actress for her performance in the play, Scorched. Produced and directed by Jade Bowers, the highly acclaimed play won three awards at the event held at the Lyric Theatre on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old said she had been honoured and overwhelmed when she was announced the winner. The play is a war drama that centres on siblings Janine and Simon Marwan as they attempt to track their tangled roots in wartorn Lebanon.
“I transition through many characters in the play, including a writer known as Sawda who documents the war-torn area,” explained Patel.
The Johannesburg-based actress attained her Masters in creative writing from the University of Witwatersrand and is no stranger to the performing arts. Since her stage debut at 21, Patel has not only performed in award-winning theatre productions, but has also been a playwright, television actress, author and poet.
The all-rounder has a busy month ahead as she will be performing in three plays at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, including Whistle Stop, Rat Race, and Black which is set to make its debut at the festival.
Patel’s playwriting skills were showcased in Whistle Stop, which won the Silver Standard Bank Ovation award at The National Arts Festival in 2014 and the Pansa best new writer award.
Although she has solidified her name in theatre, Patel is also known for her television roles in Generations, Soap on a Rope, Hard Copy and Binnelanders.
And her love of poetry led to her co-founding the poetry collective, Rite 2 Speak, in 2004 which has since performed poetry at corporate events and festivals, including a Heritage Day festival in Portugal in 2008.
Scorched will be on in Durban from August 10 to 13 at the Playhouse Drama Theatre.