Market Theatre

RELATED LINKS: Theatre Homegrown South African theatre is alive and well, as evidenced by the myriad productions staged at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in July each year. Many of these travel the country afterwards, often ending up at Johannesburg's famous Market Theatre at the Newtown Cultural Precinct, or at the Civic Theatre in Braamfontein. Read more Civic Theatre continues to wow audiences After successfully reinventing itself as a receiving house and as a lucrative business undertaking, the Johannesburg Civic Theatre is now set to position itself as a premier entertainment destination in the city. Read more

Market Theatre showcases upcoming talent November 14, 2003 By Tammy O'Reilly BUDDING writers, directors and actors from around the country will get the opportunity to display their talent during the Zwakala Festival at the Market Theatre Laboratory from Sunday 16 November. The annual festival, into its ninth year, gives novice theatre groups the opportunity to perform in a professional environment. This year 12 plays will be performed at the Market Theatre Laboratory in Newtown from 16 November to 23 November. Theatre groups from all nine provinces will be represented at the festival, presenting works that deal mainly with social issues. Groups such as Ambie Sisters from Northern Cape, Abaqulusi from KwaZulu Natal, Mosekaphofu from North West and Positive Arts Society from Soweto are sure to thrill audiences with the diverse face of indigenous theatre in South Africa today. In May this year, 49 original plays by various theatre groups presented their plays at the Market Theatre Laboratory. "The response was phenomenal," says coordinator Oscar Motsikoe, who was also a product of the festival. Out of the initial 49, 12 plays were chosen for further development, to be melded into a fine-tuned production. These are now ready for public consumption. The Zwakala Festival has produced writers and directors of note such as Obed Boloyi with his comedy "Ga Mchangani" and Mncedisi Shabangu's "Wangeshaya Wangeshaya". Of the 12 plays, judges will choose one to perform at the Market Theatre after a further period of development. "We at the Market Theatre Laboratory are excited once again to contribute to the growth of theatre in our country because we believe the arts can change society for the better," says Motsikoe. The Zwakala Festival runs from 4pm to 6pm on weekdays and from 9am on weekends. Entry to all shows is free. For more information call Otto Moloto on 011 832 1642/3. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za