Naledi Theatre Awards introduces three new categories

Before lockdown and self-isolation became part of the casual lexicon in South Africa, last year was huge for local theatre.

New musicals like Into the Woods, thrilling productions like Chicago and dramas like Metamorphosis from the University of Johannesburg showed that gripping theatre is still everywhere. The latest Naledi Theatre Awards production list is a celebration of this.

“This year, we are happy to announce three new categories to the mix,” says Dawn Lindberg, founder and CEO of the awards.

“These are: best production for independent/fringe theatre, best contemporary dance/ballet production and best production tertiary/incubator theatre.

“The addition of the new categories was inspired by the incredible quality and calibre of these exciting genres over the past five years and the Naledi executive felt that it is important to celebrate the excellence in these fields, as well as the more conventional genres of plays and musicals.

“We have also decided to include tertiary and incubator productions as, often, these are the theatre makers to watch for in the future.”

This year, the Naledi’s fielded 50 judges, all from or associated with the industry, who were divided into six panels best-suited to their fields of expertise, says Renos Spanoudes, chairman of the judging panels.

“Between them, the Naledi judges saw more than 100 productions.

“They were tasked with ensuring the eligibility of each of the productions under scrutiny and to ensure that these productions adhered to the criteria as laid down in the rules.

“The criteria range from language to content to style. That’s one of the redeeming factors of Naledis since inception – it takes a bold approach and lauds all creativity.”

Last year again proved to be an exceptional year for theatre in South Africa, according to Kgomotso Christopher, chair of the awards.

“We are seeing some really amazing, ground-breaking and uniquely South African work across all genres,” said Christopher.

“What is heartening to see is that while the traditional theatre audiences may be diminishing in some areas, we are seeing a growing and very discerning young audience enjoying live theatre.”

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