KZN students up for scholarship
TWO KwaZulu-Natal performers have been included among the 24 finalists shortlisted from first- and second-year university students to receive Arts and Culture Trust NLC Scholarships.
Thembelihle Ngubo from Pietermaritzburg and Yonela Ngoni from Durban are among those students who excelled at either acting, dance, musical theatre or singing, and will perform in the final showcase in Cape Town and Johannesburg. First-year student winners will receive R50 000 each and the second-years will win R35 000 each. There will be 16 winners – 8 first-years and 8 second-years.
First-year student Ngubo made it through to the acting finals. The 19-year-old drama and theatre performance student from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, began her performing arts journey at the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy.
Second-year drama and production studies student, Ngoni, made it through to the dance finals. Ngoni was obliged to take a study break in 2014 due to financial constraints, and spent the year working to raise enough money to register for drama studies the following year, which she did, enrolling at DUT.
As an aspiring young theatre practitioner, who grew up in Qumbu in the Eastern Cape, Ngoni specialises in scriptwriting and theatre dance.
Arts and Culture Trust chief executive, Pieter Jacobs, said: “Having gone through the national audition process, we are confident that the future of the performing arts in South Africa is in good hands.
“Choosing from the great talent we have seen during the regional auditions was no easy task and we look forward to seeing the careers of these young artists unfold.”
The Cape Town showcase is set to take place on Wednesday at the Baxter Theatre, while the Johannesburg showcase will take place on October 1 at the Con Cowan Theatre on the UJ Campus.
Each student will perform two pieces before an audience and a panel of judges. The judges will select a scholarship recipient in each of the four categories.