Olive Tree Theatre to host Women’s Theatre Festival
JOBURG - The Olive Tree Theatre's most celebrated occasion is due this month when it will host its annual show, the Women's Theatre Festival.
The show has been the centre of attraction which helped profile the theatre from its slow initial steps to its present state as a venue for alternative artistic expression and entertainment comparable to other established theatres in Joburg.
Theatre founder and director, Ntsieng Mokgoro, and manager Jessica Ndaba, regard the festival as a place where Alexandrians are joined with others wanting to savour and revive Kasi’s creative arts and culture.
The festival will be held on 22 to 25 October and will feature work of emerging female directors. “It’s a platform for them to showcase their creativity in a sector that still needs to reform and be inclusive,” Mokgoro said.
Ndaba said five emerging directors will stage their plays in four days. “Depending on the outcome, it will be their platform and opportunity to get invitations to showcase their talents on larger platforms such as the State Theatre in Pretoria, the Market and Joburg Theatre and also the Soweto Theatre,” she said.
The five women include Katlego Mogola, who trained in theatrical arts at the Tswane University of Technology, with her play titled Food For The Soul; Pamela Nketshe, a student of the Walter Sisulu University, with her play titled Isiko Lama; Chuma Mapoma, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, staging the play WOMYN; Gcebile Dlamini’s play called Nomzamo; and Lihle Dlomo with her play, Last Cow Standing.
Ndaba added that, as with last year, the festival attracts local and foreign artists as part of its growth plans and the theatre aims to be a recognised regional and international centre. The guest speaker of the festival will be Rebecca Posner, an acclaimed artist from New York, United States of America.
The festival will also conduct scriptwriting and theatre directing workshops for aspirant artists, and a visual art and craft market to expose local artists’ sculptures, handmade crafts and fashion designs.
The entry fee will be R50 per day.
Details: Olivetree Theatre 011 048 6152.
