Sho’t left onto passion’s path
THEMBI MTSHALI-JONES FELL IN LOVE WITH THEATRE AFTER QUITTING NURSING
Ipi Ntombi took her to the US where she worked with Hugh Masekela.
Sitting down with veteran actress, singer and playwright Thembi Mtshali-Jones proved to be not only informative and intriguing but quite calming too, which one wouldn’t expect of a woman who often plays domineering and forceful characters – but that’s very different to who she is in reality.
She was not one of those entertainers who always knew that they would end up being respected television stars. “I first trained as a nurse, but then, in the middle of my training, I fell pregnant with my daughter,” she said.
So her career path had to change. “I loved singing but never thought I could do that as a career, plus my parents never saw it as such either, so there was nothing encouraging me.”
But with a child and no job, she decided to follow her heart, even though her parents regarded her passion as just a hobby.
“When I finally decided I was going to try my luck in the entertainment industry full-time and quit doing odd jobs while busy with theatre, I joined South African musical, Ipi Ntombi, but even then my parents asked when I would get a real job.
“Nonetheless, that is when I realised that this was what I wanted to do.”
The famous musical enabled her to travel overseas and her views about what she could do in the entertainment industry expanded. “There were people like Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba. I started working with Hugh and branched into other things, even touring.”
She came back to South Africa in the mid-’80s to find that the country finally had television and landed her first TV job acting alongside fellow veteran actress Nomsa Nene.
“What really took off for me though was when I did Sgudi
Snaysi with Joe [Mafela], Sis May and Louise. By then I knew this was meant for me, but still I joined the Market Theatre and did my first drama, with Gcina Mhlophe, called Have you seen Zandile,” she said. Sgudi Snaysi allowed her to reveal a comedic side of her she had never really paid attention to. “Sgudi Snaysi became an overnight hit. I believe it was the first African sitcom in South Africa.
“Joe was a born comedian and actually jumpstarted the humorous side in all of us.”
The sitcom was originally meant to bt titled A Women’s
World. “When we started the women in the show were supposed to make fun of the lounger (Mafela), who happened to stay with them. But Joe turned the whole thing around, hence it was named after his famous ending every sentence, ‘Sgudi Snaysi’.”
But theatre was her first love and still is. “I love theatre. I love it for the challenge it gives me every time I have to perform, with everyone looking at me and receiving what I have to give and challenging me to give more, and then at the end receiving a standing ovation for a job well done. I can’t trade that for anything.”
The Arts and Culture Trust named her the 2015-winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Theatre.
Mtshali-Jones had no formal training but believes her good listening skills helped hone her skills as an actress. “There was no training in our time. I always say that each and every director that I have worked with has been my teacher because they all taught me different techniques and different ways of singing and acting,” she said. “I threw myself in and found out that, wow, I’m getting good reviews and people like what I do.”
Mtshali-Jones, who is now part of Mzansi Magic’s The Queen and one of the lead actresses in e.tv’s new series, Broken Vows, says the acting industry has improved, but there is still more it can do to create stars people respect.
“I can be called for an audition when people know the list of my work, instead of just saying soand-so could you come and see if you are interested in this role because we know your work. That shows a level of respect for what one has done,” she said. “Until we actually promote our artists to that level of respect, we cannot say we are creating stars that we can be proud of.”
The 67-year-old is enjoying her new role as Getty on Broken Vows. “Getty is a very powerful and controlling woman. She dominates and wants things done her way and controls her children. On the other hand, I’m soft and my children would kill me if I tried to control them.”
What she loves most about Getty is that she is a hard worker and sweated for everything she has – but she proved she could create a good life for herself, even though her husband was in jail.
I loved singing but never thought I could do that as a career, plus my parents never saw it as such either. Thembi Mtshali-Jones Actress