Sex, lust, prostitution, partying and mistrust best describe "Money makers", one of the theatrical productions making waves at this year's National Arts Festival.
Sex, lust, prostitution, partying and mistrust best describe "Money makers", one of the theatrical productions making waves at this year's National Arts Festival.
The NG Kerk hall was full to the brim on Saturday afternoon, as members of the audience, from all walks of life, young and not-so-young, watched the hardships and dilemmas of five prostitutes enacted in front of them.
Dikeledi Modubu, who began her stage career in Gibson Kente's 2006 The Call, is Malindi.
Together with Linda Sebezo, as Sister D, Tery Lubuya-Muanza as Vicky, Phindile Gwala as Carol and Lynn Kekana as Brenda, she wowed the audience with a mixture of humour and pathos, as they took on the street-walkers' plight.
Dallas Kunene played the part of Thembinkosi, Sister D's toy boy.
"Money Makers" is about a group of women who come together as business partners in prostitution, due to a variety of circumstances, including the high rate of unemployment.
Sister D, for example, switches from being full-time waitress to full-time call girl, having left rural Mpumalanga to look for greener pastures in the City of Gold.
She settles for prostitution – a profession on which she makes her mark, until she rules the den.
As she grows older, however, she survives by renting her space to younger women.
As the play unfolds, Sister D makes a shocking discovery about her past that causes havoc in her life.
Brenda, who comes from an impoverished family, has completed matric and had to drop out of her studies in Engineering at Wits so she could help provide for her siblings.
The play has been the talk of the town since it opened on Friday night, with audiences flocking to performances – either out of frank curiosity or aesthetic appreciation.
Pretoria student, Gerry Mogoshane, walking out of the Saturday afternoon show, said it was nothing to write home about. "I feel as though I have seen it before, it's like dejavu. As much as I enjoyed watching it, I would not watch it again," she said.
Money Maker director and writer Jullian Seleke-Mokoto told Grocott's Mail after the performance, "The play tells a gripping story about the realities of migration, by exploring the world of sex workers.
"By writing this play, I wanted to convey a message to women out there who have abandoned their children. The message is to simply stop them from doing this, because abandoning a child has great consequences," Seleke-Mokoto said. "The play also gives the viewers a sneak peek into the day-to-day lives of prostitutes," he said.
Mokoto's plays over the years have included Shattered Dreams – for which he received two FNB Vita Awards – and Unfaithful Woman. He has been staging his plays at the National Arts Festival for 15 years. He said in September he would be releasing another play, Bittersweet Journey. With an age restriction of 18, the play is on at the NG Kerk tonight at 9pm and tomorrow at 7pm. Tickets range from R40 to R60.
