A local seasoned actor, scriptwriter and theatre director, Donald Matlala, is on a mission to unearth new acting talent in Diepsloot and surrounding areas.
Matlala, who has been in the art industry for almost two decades, said many youngsters from townships and rural areas needed to be given opportunities such as those living in big cities.
“Growing up in the small village called Matoks in Limpopo, I always wanted to become an actor one day. I took part in drama and amateur theatre productions at school in order to learn about acting. When I was in Grade 12, I had an opportunity to see a professional theatre production for the first time which was directed by the late Paul Rapedi in my home town.
“After seeing that production which I later became part of, my love for acting and theatre grew even more. I had an opportunity to be trained at Paul Rapedi School of Dramatic Art and later joined the casting and I got my first role in the production in 2005,” he said.
Matlala added that he realised that many talented aspiring actors from disadvantaged communities were unable to get into the industry because no one bothered to pay attention to them.
“In the past few years, I’ve travelled to a number of European countries including Holland, Slovakia and Belgium showcasing a drama that I wrote, titled If. Going around the world, I realised that captains of the industry in these countries invest immensely in young people. “I recently started offering free classes to young aspiring actors from Diepsloot and Cosmo City in an attempt to teach them theatre and acting methodology.
“Talent is important but you also need formal training in order to be the best actor.”
Matlala added that he was currently working on a local drama series that will air on a local TV channel later this year.
