The Playhouse Company offers an exciting six-week mentorship
programme which involves a series of workshops covering all facets of theatre.
“How many times have we heard the story of some amateur
actor or understudy being plucked from obscurity to become a famous name on
stage?” says the Playhouse Marketing Department. “It's a true and inspirational
story often heard in theatre circles, but don't be fooled into believing such
meteoric ascendency to stardom happens by mere chance. It, in fact, takes a lot
of sweat, perseverance and guidance from experienced mentors to make it all
work.”
It was from this brand of commitment by The Playhouse
Company, an agency of the Department of Arts and Culture, to foster community
theatre and raise the levels of professionalism on stage, that the idea of
Community Arts Mentorship Programme (CAMP) was born.
Through an audition process, 30 young performers were chosen
to participate in an exciting six-week mentorship programme which involves a
series of comprehensive workshops covering all facets of theatre. The
inter-active workshops cover the fundamentals of acting, singing, music,
directing and dance to the more peripheral, yet equally critical areas of
script writing and development, contracts and business administration, theatre
history and archiving.
“By all accounts, it's been a rewarding and enriching
experience for all the participants so far,” says the Playhouse. “Their big
challenge arrives at the culmination of the programme when they are called upon
to create their own productions - with the help of their mentors - which they
will perform at two shows on April 24 and 25 in the Playhouse Loft.”
The reward for CAMP is seeing young and up-and-coming
artists equipping themselves with professional skills under the invaluable
guidance of trained mentors. Among the mentors this year are Ralph Lawson,
Ashwin Singh, Caroline Smart, Dr Emma Durden, Xolisa Dlamini, Neil Coppen,
Edmund Mhlongo and Nkanyiso Kunene.
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