DREAM COME TRUE
Knysna actor wins spot in ‘7de Laan’:
ASPIRING young Knysna actor and playwright Thabiso Newman is leaving the dusty roads of the township he grew up in for the bright lights of the city after securing a role in the popular Afrikaans soapie 7de Laan.
While it is a dream come true for the 21-year-old from Nekkies, becoming a member of the fictional Hillside community on TV has been a long and challenging journey.
“But this just shows that hard work and perseverance pays off,” said Newman, who recently won the 2013 Eden Drama Festival with a poignant play,
Life After Hurt, about finding love after betrayal.
The festival, created by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, was designed to promote local artists from previously disadvantaged communities in the region. And the prize for the winning actor is a part in 7de Laan.
The winners are also given the opportunity to showcase their talent at the Suidoosterfees in Cape Town between January 28 and February 2.
Spokesman for the department Moeniel Jacobs said the performances of the contestants amazed the audience and impressed the adjudicators.
He also praised the groups for presenting such “professional, well-scripted and well-directed productions”. Although Newman has no idea yet about the type of character he will be portraying in 7de
Laan, he has started watching the soapie every night in preparation.
“I’m also making sure my Afrikaans is up to scratch and my grandmother is helping me with that by only speaking Afrikaans to me at home,” said Newman. His grandmother, Sarah Booi, is also his biggest supporter.
“My grandparents raised me. I never knew my father and my mother was never really there for me.
“My grandparents played a huge part in my life. Every time I perform, my grandmother is in the audience,” he said.
The former Percy Mdala High School pupil said drama was never part of his plans for the future.
“I was an athlete and played soccer at school until the day I saw my first play at school. It inspired me so much that I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life.”
However, his school did not offer drama classes but this did not stop him from pursuing his dreams.
“I started a drama group at school and attended as many drama workshops as I could in and around Knysna.”
Today, Newman is also passing his knowledge and experience on to other young and aspiring actors.
He will only be joining the 7de Laan crew in Johannesburg later this month but in the meantime he has enough on his plate to keep him busy.