Twist Theatre
Development Projects hosted the fifth edition of The Novel-Script project as
part of the National Arts Festival which closes today (July 13).
In a dynamic
professional writers’ development programme, the project brought together
selected writers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the Netherlands.
The starting point
for the project was the novel, Sleepwalking
Land by the acclaimed Mozambiquan author, Mia Couto, and writers developed
theatre scripts inspired by this novel over an intensive week-long workshop.
The finished scripts were presented at a free public performance.
The Project was
presented in partnership with the National Arts Festival, and with funding from
the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).
South African
writers included multi Musho! Festival award-winning writer, Samson Mlambo, as
well as Johannesburg-based Jessica Richards and scriptwriter and director,
Ntshieng Mokgoro. Popular Dutch theatre writer and novelist, Roland Colastica, joined
from the Dutch Antilles and experienced Dutch director, Roel Twijnstra, also
joined the programme. Emma Durden was the South African director working on the
project, which was mentored by the acclaimed poet and dramaturge Kobus Moolman.
Additional funding
through Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, and the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC) covered participation in the programme of
Zimbabwean theatre director Daniel Maposa, the award-winning film, television
and theatre writer, Leonard Matsa and exciting young writer Rudo Mutangadure,
all of whom hail from Harare. This funding also allowed for the inclusion of
the published Mozambiquan poet and short-story writer Rogério Manjate and the
young director Maria Cambane from Maputo.
At the outset of this
unique project, Emma Durden commented: “It is a rare opportunity to bring
writers from different countries and different perspectives together to hone
their craft and to work from a common starting point. We look forward to the
creation of some exciting new theatre scripts and to nurturing cross-border
collaborations that last long into the future.”
The public
performance of the new work was brought to life by a strong team of actors
including Michael Gritten, Bheki Khabela, Bhekani Shabalala and Pranesh
Maharaj. Many of these actors are Grahamstown festival veterans with Ovation
Awards under their belts, as well as being The Mercury Durban Theatre Award
winners.
In addition to this
exciting project, the four community groups from KwaZulu-Natal who are involved
in the Twist programme also took part in the Festival’s Remix-Lab programme, a
ten day immersion into the festival in Grahamstown, attending a host of
workshops, performances and discussions. For many, this was their first
experience of a large arts festival.
More information on Twist from Emma Durden on 031 201 5594 or 082 673 6662.
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