(Josette and Thato with the world-renowned Cicely Berry)Interview (long-overdue!) by Caroline Smart
Last year Durban actress Josette Eales, along with Johannesburg actor Thato Moraka, won the 2010 Brett Goldin Bursary award.
Established by The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), The Actors Centre and the Baxter Theatre Centre, the bursary was set up immediately after the death of young actor Brett Goldin and his friend, fashion designer Richard Bloom. They were brutally murdered just days before Brett Goldin was due to leave for Stratford-upon-Avon to appear in the Baxter’s production of Hamlet, directed by Janet Suzman.
The bursary was kick-started by donations from respected South African-born actors Sir Antony Sher.and Honorary RSC Associate Janet Suzman, to give other young actors the opportunity which Brett was denied, and to honour his memory in an appropriate manner.
The bursary is designed to enhance and fine-tune actors who are committed to the need and desire to expand their knowledge and acting ability of Shakespeare. The winners are based at the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company for a period and on their return home, they are required to use their newfound skills to enthuse and encourage others towards a love and understanding of Shakespeare.
Winners are chosen according to their talent for Shakespeare performance, passion, commitment and overall suitability and Josette Eales certainly fitted the bill.
Living in Johannesburg at the time, she went online one day to discover information from the Baxter Theatre about the bursary’s qualifying round which required those wanting to audition to write a two page essay about themselves and why they should be granted a chance to win. The deadline was that day and with only two hours to spare, she wrote in a rush but from the heart. Two weeks later she was granted an audition at the Market Theatre with 75 other applicants.
“I think at the time, I really just wanted to act,” says Josette. “I just wanted to be inspired and creative and I thought this would be a wonderful chance to be on stage and perform. I didn't in my wildest dreams expect to win.”
While she had lived in London, Josette have never been to Stratford-upon-Avon but as she continued successfully through the call-back rounds, she began to realize that she might at last get to Shakespeare’s birthplace and “learn about the mystery” of The Bard. Pretty soon, she found herself set up in a B&B with Thato Moraka and being treated like royalty from start to finish.
“Thato and I were partners in crime the entire time,” Josette continues. “He is an extremely talented young South African actor and I'm sure will have a very successful career. So it was just us two on a mission to learn as much as possible ... this also meant we were blessed to have private voice classes and tuition.
“The bursary wasn't really a course,” she explains. “It was a chance to be with the company of actors working for the RSC at the time and to work with the directors and accent coaches based in Stratford. We were kept incredibly busy and when we weren't taking classes, we were watching plays and when we weren't doing that, we were in rehearsals with the company and learning all the time. I didn't find it onerous at all. However, we were extremely tired both mentally and physically but it was a case of wanting to absorb as much as possible and take in everything we could so as not to waste any precious time there.”
A highlight was working regularly on text and voice with the acclaimed Cicely Berry, respected the world over for her skills. Added to this, there was time spent with Greg Doran (Chief Associate Director of the RSC) and Sir Anthony Sher on a one-on-one basis and in a class environment as well as going to the house of John Barton (co-founder with Peter Hall of the Royal Shakespeare Company) where Josette performed a monologue in his lounge.
“We behaved like sponges,” Josette adds, “and took in as much as we could - from writing journals to buying books and DVDs to bring home the knowledge. However, upon returning I made a very sad discovery; people in South Africa are very protective of their place in the industry and are scared of people who have knowledge. I have so much knowledge I would love to impart but, unfortunately, people don't seem interested or don't even seem like they need it which I find devastatingly sad. Bar a few people, there has not been much interest.
“If South Africans would embrace the need to learn and grow,” she adds, ”I think the industry would raise itself up, the quality of productions would improve and there would be a renewed sense of confidence. We have such amazing talent in this country but our egos tend to get in the way. If there is one thing I learnt while at the RSC is there is no room for ego, no room for arrogance - everyone there is simply trying to do good work and better themselves.”
A graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Josette formed a production company with colleague Janna Ramos-Violante and they created critically-acclaimed work such as The Lover, Sally and Marsha and Stone Angel. She has appeared in a number of productions for KickstArt such as Dangerous Liaisons, Dracula and Popcorn before moving to New York to Study Method acting with Tony Greco (Philip Seymore Hoffman's acting coach). This experience changed her focus and made her want to pursue opportunities in the film industry. After completing the run of the schools production of Othello, she returns to Johannesburg to take up a leading role in a new M-Net soapie called The Wild. – Caroline Smart
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