Help local talent attend the National Arts Festival
JUKSKEI PARK – They may be young, but the performers from the Green Room Collaboration are all ready to hit the National Arts Festival and need your help to get there.
A group of young performers ready to take the stage by storm need your help to make their dream of attending the National Arts Festival in the Eastern Cape this year a reality.
The Green Room Collaboration is located in Jukskei Park and offers acting classes and workshops to youngsters who wish to one day enter the world of performing. Bianca Schulte-Brader and Devon Welners of the collaboration have spent all year working with nine young cast members on a production of Murdered To Death by Peter Gordon which they hope to perform at the festival, which showcases performing artists from around the country and the world. In order to make this dream a reality, R12 000 needs to be raised to cover the costs associated with the performance.
Murdered to Death is a murder mystery spoof with a quirky cast of characters being investigated for murder by a bumbling detective.
“Attending the National Arts Festival is a wonderful opportunity for learners who might not otherwise get the opportunity,” Schulte-Brader, who co-directs with Welners, told the Fourways Review.
“Taking anything to Makhanda can be difficult. The money we need to raise is needed to pay the fee for the rights to perform the play [payable to the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation] which is R6 000.
“We also need to transport the sets and costumes down to Makhanda, and some of the money will be used to advertise our show and get our name out there.”
The cast is made up of youngsters aged between 14 and 19 from around Johannesburg, many of whom have participated in school productions and wish to take the next step toward a career in entertainment.
“I think that when people hear of a production done by high schoolers they think of amateur work,” Welners said. “But that’s simply not true.”
Schulte-Brader agreed, saying that while their actors may be young, they are more than able to take on the challenge.
“I think [in the cast] there is a good combination of talent and hard work,” she said.
“These are dedicated kids and they definitely bring their own energy to the play!”
Donations can be made on the Back A Buddy website and need to be made before the end of May. The cast is excited about the prospect of performing three shows at the festival, alongside so many other talented artists.
“It would be a big opportunity as there are a lot of big names who attend the festival,” explained Leilah Grange (18), who was cast as Mrs Craddock and has been on the stage since she was about nine years old.
Sabrina Freeman, who plays the character of Dorothy, agreed. “The experience would be amazing. It would be a chance to get our names out there and experience different things.”
Before these youngsters (hopefully) hit the road, they will also be performing Murdered to Death in the city at the National School of Arts on 4 May. Members of the public are welcome to attend this sneak-peak performance and contact the Green Room Collaboration for more details.
Details: Donations can be made online: www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/green-room-collaboration; you can also contact the Green Room Collaboration by emailing
info@greenroomcollaboration.co.za or checking out their social media pages.
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