A local actress, performer and aspiring theatre director is on a mission to sharpen her skills while helping other aspiring creatives in Diepsloot township to get their foot into the art industry.
Violet Ndou, who fell in love with art, especially drama and theatre when she was in Grade 8 at Diepsloot West Secondary School in 2014, said local theatre could play a vital role in producing the next generation of stars in the creative industry and also be used as a tool to eradicate social ills such as gender-based violence.
“When I was in Grade 8, I decided to add art and drama as one of the subjects I was going to do. I did not know much then about art and its complexities. As time went on, I started to develop a love for performing art and decided to join the school choir at Diepsloot West Secondary School,” she said.
“In 2017, our school choir got position one in the Diepsloot Annual School Festival and was rewarded with a trip to go and perform at the Grahamstown Art Festival. The trip to Grahamstown helped me get a deep understanding of art and cemented my love for art.”
Ndou has since directed a number of plays performed at the local theatre together with the Diepsloot Youth Programme and Umtonje Theatre Production.
“After finishing my matric, I decided to join Umtonje Theatre Production that helped me get formal training to sharpen my skills in drama and theatre.
“Because I’m so much in love with drama and theatre, I decided to focus more on local theatre and I have directed a number of plays including The Real Chauvinist which raises awareness about the scourge of gender-based violence in the community.”
Ndou concluded, “I also want to help other aspiring actors and performers get into the industry.”
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