On October 7, 12 future stars performed
their hearts out on the legendary John Kani stage of the Market Theatre.
The talented finalists from around the
country travelled to Johannesburg in the hope of winning a scholarship to
pursue their dreams. Having spent the week working with specialist coaches, and
fuelled by passion for their art, the students gave a fantastic performance.
ACT CEO, Marcus Desando responded to the first event under his leadership
saying “It was heart-warming to see the kind of young talent we have in this
country. I would like to congratulate the winners and thank the sponsors for a
great evening. We wish all the finalists the best in their future endeavours.
This is the first year scholarships were
awarded in four categories, acting, singing, dance and musical theatre. The 12
finalists, three in each category, had the chance to show off their talent in
front of a live audience and impress a panel of tough judges.
Wonder Ndlovu (Acting), Mampho Letsie
(Singing), Sithembele Dotwana (Dance) and Hlumelo Yawa (Musical Theatre) walked
away with the prizes.
Wonder Ndlovu (18 years) is based in
KwaZulu-Natal and has huge ambitions to become an international film actor. His
love for acting started in his primary school years where he competed in school
competitions, theatre community productions, road awareness campaigns and
latterly film productions.
The judges this year include South African
stars Gina Schmukler and Ilsa Klink, dancer and teacher Sunnyboy Matau, ACT
trustee Maureen Lahoud, Head of SAMRO Foundation Andre Le Roux and owner of
Canvas C.A.M, Anna Hlalele.
Each winner will receive R50,000 to study
their performing arts subject at any tertiary institution in South Africa, as
well as the chance to be represented by Canvas C.A.M. Talent Agency.
Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorships and
Cause Marketing at Nedbank is excited to once again be part of giving young
artists the chance to pursue their dreams: “Nedbank’s brand essence is money
experts who do good and this has everything to do with why we fund the Arts and
Culture Trust and these incredibly important performing arts scholarships.”
“DALRO is proud of its partnership with the
Arts & Culture Trust and that we are able to contribute to the training of
young talent in South Africa.” said Elroy Bell, Theatricals & General
Licensing Supervisor at DALRO. “We must all do what we can in the goal of
attaining free education for all. It is through investing in talented young
students that we continue to grow the rich canon of work we showcase as a
nation. As DALRO celebrates its 50th Jubilee, we consider it our duty and
privilege to contribute to the education of the artists of tomorrow,”
The event was MC’d by 2014 winner Usisipho
Nteyi, who is in her third year of musical theatre at TUT.
What a privilege for these young performers
to start their journey on the stage that has seen so many South African
legends. Ismail Mahomed of the Market Theatre says “The ACT Scholarship Awards
is a dynamic investment. It ensures that tomorrow’s stars can accelerate their
careers by building it on the foundations of a quality education”.
For more information, visit
http://www.act.org.za/programmes/scholarships.html
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