Nod a boost for Mosalakae

Newcomer Michelle Mosalakae is not only dominating the small screen but the stage too.

Renowned for her break-out roles in Isibaya and The Queen, Mosalakae is basking in the glory after receiving her first Naledi Theatre Awards nomination on Monday night.

Mosalakae got the nod for Best Lead Performance in a Play for her role in Shoes & Coups.

She will duke it up against heavyweights such as Pamela Nomvete, Zikhona Sodlaka and Natasha Sutherland.

“It’s such a huge honour because I have looked up to all these women for years. To be part of these women is huge for me and it hasn’t sunk in yet,” Mosalakae said.

“The awards carry such a prestigious recognition for talent and craft.

“It’s a dream come true.

“It motivates me so much because sometimes there are ups and downs in this industry.”

Written and directed by Palesa Mazamisa, Shoes & Coups had a two-week run at the Market Theatre late in 2019.

It is one of the most nominated productions at the awards, scooping eight nods including Best New SA Script, Best Production of a Play and Best Director of a Play.

“We worked so hard and had a short amount of time to make this piece come to life.

“To be nominated in so many categories is incredible. When we were doing this play we were under so much pressure that we weren’t thinking of awards,” Mosalakae said. The Colour Purple, Freedom, as well as Hedwig and The Angry Inch also scored big when the nominations were announced. –