Getting in on the act
We live in an age of impact where attention is a valuable commodity and the competition is fierce. So, if you want to leave your mark, you’ve got to come in fast, hot and loud. Since 2010, the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) has been giving young South Africans making a mark on the local arts scene a platform for exposure by belting out their praises.
The upcoming ImpACT Awards have become something of a gold standard when it comes to talent. In 2012, Afro-pop group The Muffinz won the ImpACT Award in music and singing and went on to tour internationally and amass multiple South African Music Award nominations.
This year’s ImpACT Awards have shifted the criteria slightly, focusing on the overall achievements of young professionals in the arts and not on their medium of praxis. The 2019 nominees are on par with previous ImpACT Award winners, living up to the challenges of carving out a career in the sector. Here is a quick catch-up:
Theatre Duo
It turns out that despite their incredibly literal name, Theatre Duo are anything but unimaginative. Comprised of Mahlatsi Mokgonyana and Billy Langa (pictured), the pair caught the attention of the theatre world in 2017-18 with their award-winning production Tswalo. Audiences were amazed by the combination of poetry and physical theatre cooked up something that was mystical, mythical and historical. Their latest work, Salt, is an experimental attempt to nudge at the boundaries of performative minimalism. It cuts body movement to the minimum in an effort to interrogate the politics of story-telling.
Calvin Ratladi
Born in Mpumalanga, Ratladi’s work has focused on holding a hot spotlight over issues of identity, politics of the body and people living with disabilities. His play Silent Scars won a Silver Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in 2017. Ratladi has been at the forefront of championing the re-imagining of theatre in such a way as to revitalise support for it. Speaking to PowerFM, Ratladi said: “We need to start making theatre that will convince people to leave the comfort of their homes.”
Franco Prinsloo
On the surface of things, the idea of contemporary classical music sounds a little oxymoronic. But composer Franco Prinsloo has spent the past few years breathing new life into the local contemporary classical music scene. His compositions have been chosen as prescribed works at choral eisteddfods and competitions. He uses choirs to hauntingly cinematic effect and has been known to dabble in pop music too.
With each of these acts being under 35, it is safe to say that the future of South African arts and culture is in good hands. Whoever wins the grand prize will join an exclusive club populated by artists who have gone on to do great things in their respective industries. But, much like Idols, even for the runners-up, futures so bright await them that the prize itself may not matter in the long run.