The Promosa Community Youth Centre had a massive opportunity this past month to film their play “Hope to the Hopeless” for the Grahamstown (Makhanda) National Art Festival that took place from 22 June – 2 July this year.

Talented locals at the youth centre could not wait to film their home-grown production with the chance of getting more exposure at a national level. Although the cast could not attend the arts festival due to financial constraints, they could still enter digitally.

The play which consists of five scenes that was shot in its entirety in Promosa across two days for the purposes of the short film entry to the festival.

“We hope that the show can do well online and that people buy tickets to watch the local production online,” states the founder of the Promosa Community Youth Centre, Natasha Barends.
Hope to the Hopeless is a play that Rowaldinn Louw and Gaven Mahappy scripted. Louw also plays the role of the main character, Ryan Rich, who faces a journey filled with drug addiction that ultimately leads to redemption. The play gained rave reviews in the local community last year.

According to Casslin Perreira (15), one of the cast members participating in the play, the best feeling of acting is being able to do something different and to work towards a common goal with other.

Lushandré Louw (25), one of the cast members states that performing arts gives an opportunity to transition into different characters.
“It is fascinating to play different characters and to see the audience reaction. It was a really interesting experience to get filmed for the arts festival. The cast overall really enjoyed the experience.”

“There is a story and message to be told and that is what makes performing arts amazing. People should invest in performing arts,” she added.

Barends emphasizes that the exposure of the play at various art festivals gives the cast an opportunity to let their story be heard.

“The whole process of filming was really exciting for the kids. It was a completely new experience, but they really enjoyed it. The biggest challenge has been on a financial level,” she added.
The Centre only started in 2022 with the aim to get youth off the streets away from drug addiction and social problems at home.

“The community still has to buy into this. Arts and culture have a lot of opportunities, but a lot of people don’t believe in performing arts. My aim is to use performaing arts to provide opportunities for the youth,” added Barends, who has an extensive background in film and performing arts.

The Promosa Community Youth Centre is still a work in progress, but gives youngsters a chance to use their singing, dancing and acting talents and create a sphere for art celebration.

Education is also an important part of the Youth Centre, where the youngsters are assisted with school work and home work.

“We want to tell the children that academics are also important too. It is important for them to have a balance,” states Barends.

Gaven Mahappy, one of scriptwriters, also stated that being able to film the play, was a big moment for all involved.

“We used to struggle before, so to have a legitimate camera crew was an amazing experience, especially knowing that we started the play and the characters from scratch.”
The short film can be viewed online at https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/show/hope-to-the-hopeless/
Ticket prices are R 50.