Young actress will perform in New York

SIXTEEN-year-old actress Amahle Hadebe has recently earned herself a chance to perform in New York after her stellar performance at the 12th Annual International Arts Talent Showcase (IATS). The three-day showcase took place from September 29 to October 1 at Silverstar Casino in Krugersdorp, Johannesburg. Hadebe performed on Saturday, October 1.

To qualify and take part in the IATS, performers have to apply for and attend a provincial audition hosted by and judged by Elsubie Verlinden, the chairperson and CEO of the International Arts Talent Showcase as well the Director of 33 and Me talent agency, and Elouise van Rensburg, the director of Admissions, along with various guest judges, including American producer Nate Butler and South African celebrities like ‘Pinky Girl’.

Hadebe attended the Durban auditions in May earlier this year, at the Balmoral Hotel in South Beach, where she performed a monologue for her acting audition, and soon afterwards, she received a callback to perform at the IATS this October.

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At the showcase, the Grade 11 learner performed a monologue from the film, Malcolm and Marie, in which her favourite actress, Zendaya, stars. This performance qualified her to perform and represent South Africa in the International Modelling and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention in New York.

“At the IMTA, I will be competing in eight competitions in both the Talent and Modelling Category. I will be competing in six categories for Acting which includes categories such as Monologue, Improvisation, Cold Read, TV Real People, Screen Test and Theatrical Headshots. I will also be competing in the Jean Modelling competition in the Female Commercial Model division, and I will be competing in the Songwriting competition for the Talent Division. The IMTA convention is a five-day convention that takes place in New York City in June 2023,” said Hadebe.

Hadebe first took an interest in acting when she was in Grade Six.

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“I remember first taking an interest in acting when I would watch fellow students really doing well in class activities for drama. I watched school plays and movies, and I would almost critique their acting and even think to myself, I bet if I put more effort into my drama-class performances, I would do really well, too. That was my competitive side kicking in, and when I started to put more effort into my drama-class performances, I found it really fun to find monologues and to bring that character to life in my own way, to become that character,” she said.

Outside of acting, Hadebe enjoys music, writing songs and listening to songs, and she hopes that one day she can make music part-time while having a full-time acting career.
“I hope that my acting career will take me far. I hope that it enables me to travel to beautiful places both locally and internationally and enables me to meet, work with and be surrounded by people who share the same love for the arts as me, and to be surrounded by people who inspire me and encourage me to be a better actress and person,” she said.