SOAP = Senior One Act Play Festival

November 06, 2018 | Girls’ College | Author: Taryn Henning

Senior One Act Play Festival

Since May of this year, the four pairs of directors and production assistants who elected to put forward a production for the annual Grade 11 Senior One Act Play Festival have been brainstorming, devising, discussing, having sleepless nights and growing tremendously in both skill and insight as they prepared for performance night.

The topics they chose were highly thought-provoking: rape culture, xenophobia, psychopathology, and femicide. Each play explored critical social issues. But this is the beauty of theatre: it is a vehicle to discuss, challenge and learn as much as we can about an issue so that we can become active citizens of change in our society.

In the words of Dr John Kani: “When society is made to feel uncomfortable, only then can we start engaging in meaningful conversation around prevalent issues. Young people today cannot be silent, we need to stand up and speak out against the injustice, corruption, and assault. Great works of art can become reference points for great learning.”

These four productions truly live up to Kani’s understanding of the importance of theatre. Our adjudicator, an award-winning director and producer, was astounded at the superb quality, sensitivity and mature engagement with which each production explored their topic. This made it extremely difficult for her to select the individual award recipients as the standard was so high.

SOAP FESTIVAL AWARDS

  • Best Actress in a Dramatic Role: Nikita Jacobs as Nikita & Thando Zwane as Khwezi 1
  • Best Actress in a Comedic Role: Lehlohonolo Mokele as Judge Mohlopo
  • Best Actor: Thato Bernardo as Pitso & Mitchell Saunders as Sam
  • Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Role: Liza Nemuhuyuni as Nomthandazo
  • Best Supporting Actress in a Comedic Role: Alicia Shelembe as Mary
  • Best Supporting Actor: Andile Khuluse as Siya & Qhawelihle Nyembe as Latif
  • Best Ensemble: Cast of Why am I here?
  • Best Sound: (Musicality) Jenna Arthur and Edith Mugadza for Why am I here?
  • Best Costume: Jenna Arthur and Edith Mugadza for Why am I here?
  • Best Lighting: Jemma Jenkins-Ferret and Gabriella Jack for I am…
  • Best Set Design: Yumika Naidu and Thobile Mthimkhulu for The Darker Side of Light
  • Best Original Script: Georgina Stanley for Pyrrhic
  • Best Director: Edith Mugadza for Why am I here? & Thobile Mthimkhulu for The Darker Side of Light
  • Best Cameo: Ngoyi Kalisilira as Ntando
  • Best Comic Duo: Lehlohonolo Mokele as Judge Mohlopo and Nyakallo Peete as Yvonne
  • Emerging young voices award: Jemma Jenkins-Ferret and Cast (for their courage and bravery while grappling with the complexity of Fezekile Kuzwayo’s story)