Township theatre on course despite all the challenges
Access to space opens opportunities
Q&A with Mandisi Sindo, artistic director of the award-winning Makukhanye Art Room in Khayelitsha, Cape Town
The Art Room has been in operation for over a decade now. What have been the challenges and high points of the process of building your own theatre space so far?
Makukhanye Art Room has been a dream for many artists coming from the township. Operating in difficult conditions for 10 years without any funding support from government and the City has been a struggle, but we’ve been able to get support from friends and supporters who visit the theatre.
Khayelitsha is one of the biggest townships in South Africa where there is no artistic entrepreneurial space where young people can gather and change the stigma that has been put about their township. What has the response been like from Khayelitsha artists and audiences?
The response has been really amazing. We’ve created a space for more than 60 kids and 20 young people running daily development programmes. We have several events and festivals for Women’s Day, to commemorate Madiba’s birthday and so on.
Many of your performers have gone on to win awards and have successful productions run in other theatres.
Can you tell us some of the exciting opportunities that having your own space has brought to the people?
2018 has been an exciting and motivational year for us. We received the Space Megga Awards and were also finalists in the 2018 LeadSA Regional Hero Awards.
Last year we were given the Innovation In Theatre Award at the Fleur Du Cap Awards.
Some of the plays that were created in the Art Room have gone on to do incredible things. The Champion won a Fleur Du Cap Award and scooped awards and nominations at the Cape Town Fringe Festival 2017. The Playroom won at the Zwakala Festival in Joburg and Worst of Both Worlds won at the Zabalaza Festival.
As for the artists, we managed to send some to UCT to study theatre. Others (Happy Liwaca and Mluleki Titi) have gone on to do a technical course at Artscape Theatre, while Lwazi Sindaphi is working for Gear House SA as a technical assistant. There’s so much talent here, but without access to space you can’t explore it.
Often people are focused only on creating equal access to basic services, but human beings need to thrive more than basic services. Why is it equally important to create access to leisure and creative spaces in order to truly make communities thrive?
Young people have found the arts as a weapon to share their feelings, to find how they can change their lives. Basic services, yes they’re needed, but creative spaces are needed too as they enable kids to be confident and free mentally.
Our skills-driven programmes inspire young people to harness their dreams. What’s your future vision for the Makukhanye Art Room and how can people support it?
We’re currently building another Shack Art School as well as upgrading the theatre. All these spaces are built through donations and money I make as a freelance actor and voice artist. People can get in touch with me on sindo.theatre@yahoo.com or makukhanyeartroom @gmail.com to get more info on how to support this dream.
Also support us through our site makukhanyeartroom.com.