Seven productions competed for the highly coveted title of Best Production in the Senior Festival of the recent Makana Drama Development Festival.
Seven productions competed for the highly coveted title of Best Production in the Senior Festival of the recent Makana Drama Development Festival.
Ubom! was inspired and intrigued as the young talent of eRhini revealed itself last Friday evening, 29 October.
The adjudicators for the evening, National Arts Festival Director Ismail Mahomed, former Festival Director Lynette Marais, and Arts Education Director Neville Engelbrecht, were treated to a selection of top-quality products tackling a variety of issues, from cultural loss and township poverty, to sub-standard education and lack of job opportunities.
The Best Production award went to Kwela with their production Dreamers. They won a R500 cash prize, and the highly sought after award of sponsored involvement in the 2011 National Arts Festival. Their story explored the troubles that the current generation experience trying to find work in a corrupt country with only basic education offered to most of the school-going populace. It was relevant and satirically exposed the feelings of today’s youth.
Kwela will join other community theatre groups from around South Africa in the Remix programme, an intensive 10 day workshop process which includes performance skills, writing, as well as administrative and management skills.
Nathaniel Nyaluza’s drama group run by educator Steader Nkwinti, presented The Fingos a well-crafted and enriching presentation on cultural and historical narratives. They received a special merit award and special mention from the adjudicators.
The runner-up award went to the newly formed Via Kasi Movers, who presented Hustlers a quirky show incorporating mime, exciting Pantsula, interesting lighting effects and a top-notch cast who brought it all together. In the Junior Festival, groups from Nombulelo High School, NV Cewu and CM Vellum participated, with NV Cewu winning the Best Production category with Spread the Word, a fun story about water pollution awareness
Most extraordinary was the involvement of the Grahamstown Correctional Centre drama group. In May this year, they won many awards from the Eastern Cape Eisteddfod, and after continued workshops with applied theatre expert, Alex Sutherland it was decided that the prisoners should join Ubom! at the Rhodes Main Theatre.
After much bureaucratic negotiation, they were included in a special programme and performed in the afternoon, although they were adjudicated as part of the Senior Festival. Their story, Influence sent an inspiring and thoughtful message about not bowing to social pressures, avoiding the easy option of crime, and finding redemption through forgiveness. This was truly a momentous occasion.
