Alex’s theatre is going up in the world
ALEXANDRA – The Alex Youth In Action Ensemble has been nominated for the Premier's Awards and will participate at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.
The Alex Youth In Action Ensemble has been nominated for the 2017 Gauteng Premier’s Service Excellence awards, and this year they will participate in the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Refiloe Pieterse, who attributed these developments to fellow artists and directors Nhlanhla Mazibuko and Bongani Dlamini, and to the cast and locals artists who use the Thusong Youth Centre.
“We come together occasionally and include our hostel counterparts to make amazing productions that help bridge the cultural, social and political divide, making the arts, like sports, a true national unifier,” she said.
The group of mainly young women, showcase Alex’s raw talent and are the pride of their directors. “Our plays have attracted theatre gurus including Mbongeni Ngema, renowned internationally for the play, Sarafina.”
Pieterse said they hoped to do their best at the awards ceremony and in Grahamstown, to help put Alex on the map and keep the youth involved in gainful activities. She said the award nomination process assessed time management, service delivery, impact and quality of work, accessibility and reach of services, and the positive responsiveness of the community to their performances.
The flagship projects that helped to profile them include:
- The annual Ishashalazi theatre festival, a citywide initiative that exposes and develops aspirant artists
- Emkhathini theatre evening, which celebrates national Heritage Day on 24 September through stories about African lives
- Women’s Liberation theatre evening, which profiles women’s struggles and exposes the talent and leadership qualities among women
- The Artists Preserving Heritage festival held yearly in October, brings together emerging artists and established names.
Pieterse thanked the Alex community for standing by the group and urged them to use art and theatre as a bridge for unity, to dispel fears and myths they have of each other, and to keep the youth productively engaged in order for peace and harmony to prevail.
Details: Refiloe Pieterse 072 345 9975.
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