Fun, bubbly, and extroverted, is how theatre performer Noni Mkhonto describes herself. Mkhonto who performs through the National Children’s Theatre (NCT) in Parktown said she had received compliments for her singing as early as Grade 11.
At that point, however, it didn’t occur to her to take up performance because she rather wanted to be a psychologist.
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Spending most of her time indoors while young, however, changed Mkhonto’s perspective. “My parents were so strict that I seldom went out. My dad would buy me CDs, I had movies and access to music channels throughout my time at home and during holidays. So I copied all that I saw on TV and subconsciously honed a skill. It was already a calling within me.” Mkhonto would also sing church songs with her grandmother.
Mkhonto went on to perform the musical Annie in her matric year in 2006 and many other major productions in high school. “We were running it like a professional subject and I landed full colours. I was not academic but creative. That was how my theatre background became so strong because our major productions were at a vast level.
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“I encourage people to study because there is a skill-set that you learn when you go to school. It’s not all glitz and glam, there is a lot of hard work and I feel like the passion within you that drives you and your work ethic is what would get you the job.”
In NCT’s Hope the Rhino, Mkhonto plays little Hope whom she says she relates to in the sense that as a new mother, getting children to listen may be a challenge.
She explains, “Little Hope doesn’t listen to her mom telling her about poachers and hunters and she goes on being oblivious and when Mommy gets poached it becomes painful because now she must run and try to find Mommy. There are times when we don’t listen to our parents and we think we know life until life bites you in the [behind]. I also believe that sometimes we do need to learn, making a mistake is a stepping stone to growth.”
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Being able to perform in front of hundreds or thousands of people and seeing how she touches them is a highlight for Mkhonto. She added that working alongside amazing people and amazing directors and producers is also one.
Mkhonto concluded, “I would like to do a production abroad for a musical such as Sister Act and I would love for Dream Girls to be brought back. I would like to explore being behind the scenes as I am curious about how things work behind the scenes. I would also love to do drama therapy whereby kids are rehabilitated through theatre.”
Details: National Children’s Theatre
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