St Mary’s Waverly School learners put their best foot forward in their latest musical
Different South African cultures helped shape the characters and narrative for Naledi.
St Mary’s Waverley School learners set the stage on fire with their latest musical
Naledi is a unique choral work composed by Franco Prinsloo that draws from South African mythology to create a contemporary musical tale of courage, adventure, and magic.
The work explores collective themes of truth and renewal through the story of Naledi, the morning and evening star who falls to earth in search of the divine spark of the truth. To make the piece accessible to a diverse audience, Prinsloo collaborated with writers to create a multilingual work that honours South Africa’s rich and diverse cultural and linguistic landscape.
The lead actress who plays Naledi, Makwapeng Maponya said, “I did not plan on auditioning, hence, it came as a surprise when I was told I’d be playing the lead role. I did not know what I was getting into, especially because I have never done physical theatre which uses more body language than speaking but I am happy with my performance tonight.”
Prinsloo’s research on South African mythologies, with a specific focus on various stories from Khoisan, Ndebele, Tswana, Venda, Swati, Xhosa, Tsonga, Sotho, and Zulu cultures, helped shape the characters and narrative of Naledi.
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