Londiwe’s theatre debut
Local girl to make first time appearance on a theatre production that engages with the new emerging urban youth culture to be showcased at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre for a 12-performance season from 3 to 12 July.
A QUEENSBURGH girl is set to make her debut appearance in Durban’s popular Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA) Young Performers Project.
Londiwe Chamane will feature in the 15th annual local theatre production, Soldiers in the City, a vibrant, contemporary, relevant story about pertinent youth-focused issues. The story is about two best friends, both excellent poets, who compete in an underground slam poetry challenge.
They come to realise that words can be sharper and more dangerous than swords, and forgiveness and loyalty are more valuable than glory.
Chamane, a Grade 11 pupil at Queensburgh Girls’ High School, said auditioning for the play was a modest attempt. “I am very humbled, I wanted to see if I could get through the first stage of the auditions, but surprisingly I made it through to the final production.”
She hopes to be a dancer on Broadway after she finishes school and considers her first show as a great opportunity to gain experience.
Soldiers in the City, funded by the KZN Department of Arts and Culture and Rainbow Chickens, is an innovative new home-grown work created by director and writer, Themi Venturas, co-writer, Lucky Cele, and the popular slam poet, Iain ‘Ewok’ Robinson.
It engages with the new emerging urban youth culture and will be showcased at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre for a 12-performance season from 3 to 12 July.
Chamane, who lists her hobbies as singing and mathematics, will play the role of Zanele, a vivacious, fierce and sassy township gangster. “She does whatever will ‘benefit’ her. She’s also a fierce dance leader who can be very mean and evil at times. Oh, and she’s hot! In all, I think the audience will love to hate her but in the end they’ll totally love her,” Chamane elaborated about her character.
The production examines the overt culture of the new generation, which includes rhyming, beat-box, urban dance, music and public artwork like graffiti – much like the very popular ‘Step Up’ movie series. The script outline was finalised after the casting was complete, which has enabled customisation to allow the characters to speak with their own voices, and for the cast to showcase their particular talents.
“It is clear that more and more young people want to control their own destinies,” said Venturas.
“This can be seen in the new youth culture, in the ‘k’ generation – which is full of revolutionary zeal and despondent anger directed at the older generation, which they perceive as not having done enough to change their lives materially,” he added.
The project promotes discipline, develops confidence and gives the opportunity to make life-long friendships and to learn a huge amount from the professionals. Tickets are on sale at Computicket outlets at Shoprite Checkers.
