The various stakeholders in the arts industry came in numbers as the founder and director of the Alex Arts Academy, Mpho Molepo launched the new Alex Theatre Company and Academy at the Sankopano Centre.
Invited guests included people from the Sandton Theatre on the Square, agencies, the legendary theatre doyen Mbongeni Ngema, the cast from Generations, and Skeem Saam.
Molepo said, “This company was a negotiated dream because originally the idea was to start a company that will be able to produce theatre work, so the argument was we cannot start with the company because where are we going to get the actors so we decided to start with the academy and train a team of actors that we will be proud of and start working with them in the company.”
Masiza Mbali, the head of Alex Arts Academy said, “We were introducing the new structure of the organisation from the Alex Arts Academy to the Alex Theatre Company and Academy. From this transition there has been an addition of theatre, there were also other units that have been introduced like an agency and a technical support unit that will be active as from this year and a formalisation of a book club.”
Mbali said the theatre company comes as a need for students who graduate from the academy to be able to put what they have learned into practice.
He said Alex Arts Academy is a learning ground and the Alex Theatre Company and Academy is a practicing ground. They are also introducing another avenue for the students to be able to go to the industry directly through an acting agency.
“The academy is open as from April 26 registrations are open and anyone who wants to come and study can come and join the academy. With the theatre company there are activities lined up for graduates to participate in the school activities including the travelling to Botswana and Mozambique.”
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