Cultural celebration
ZWAKALA FESTIVAL: TOP THEATRE PRACTITIONERS SET THE STAGE
Event is one of most dynamic and long-standing shows.
The new festival director of the Market Theatre’s long-running community theatre festival Zwakala, taking place in Johannesburg next month, has been announced.
The man at the helm of the 30th edition of this important and much-loved event is award-winning actor, director and arts educator Thami Mbongo.
Mbongo, who has considerable experience administering a comparable event at Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre called Zabalaza, is ready to lend his experience and expertise to the Zwakala festival as it enters its milestone year.
Mbongo spent seven years working on the Zabalaza festival. Among his duties were to conceive, develop and implement the festival’s artistic vision.
His respected track-record also includes being tasked with directing and mentoring many other festival entries throughout South Africa.
The Zwakala festival was started in 1992 by John Kani and the late co-founder of the Market Theatre, Barney Simon. It was initially funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.
This was just after The Market Theatre Lab; the theatre’s educational arm was established in 1989. Now in its 30th year, the meaningful annual event is currently funded by the department of sports, arts and culture’s incubator programme.
The event is one of South Africa’s most dynamic and long-standing theatre festivals aimed specifically at community-based theatre makers. Throughout its existence its main aim is to support, and enhance the skills-set of writers, directors, and actors. It also trains the participants in the creative and practical sides of producing a professional theatre piece.
Based on its original format, fieldworkers go out to community groups to develop the participants’ theatre skills and mentor the members of the chosen drama groups. Participants are taken through workshops to polish their original scripts and acting methods.
The final cohort across four productions showcase their work to the public in the Ramolao Makhene Theatre at the Market Theatre
Foundation in Newtown. Judges who are industry experts are selected to choose a winning group which is given further support and the use of the resources of the Market Theatre Foundation to realise a professional rendition of their initial work with the help of a mentor director and dramaturge. Past winning productions include Tau directed by Momo Matsunyane (current Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for Theatre) and, more recently, Thabo Ramaine and Lonwabo Bhele’s Blacksmith.
It aims to empower arts practitioners to create and produce local content of a high standard. This is a great platform and often propels the theatre groups to greater visibility within the sector and the broader public.
Mbongo brings in a wealth of experience and a discerning eye to recognise excellence within the performing arts.
“I look forward to the opportunity to contribute my skills and vision to the 2024 Zwakala festival and continue its legacy of fostering emerging talents in the South African theatre landscape,” he says.
“My mandate is to infuse a creative vibe and spirit into the four selected productions for the 30th Zwakala festival, setting the stage for the resurgence of a thriving cultural celebration.”
The festival coordinator who will work alongside Mbongo has also been announced.
This is seasoned theatre practitioner Ntambo Rapatla. In 2004, she was nominated for best newcomer at the Naledi Theatre Awards for Sauer Street.
She was also the lead singer for the musical African Footprint which saw her touring Europe and the Middle East.
Her most memorable role is that of Miriam in the stage musical King Kong (2017). For this she got a Naledi nomination for “Best Supporting/Featured Performance in a Musical/Revue: Female” in 2018.
Rapatla’s project coordination experience includes the Makhado Educational Programme, Mams Arts Festival and the Covid Community Conversations.
She holds a diploma in musical theatre from the then Technikon Pretoria (Tshwane University of Technology).