The Pietermaritzburg Arts Kollective (The PAK)
is a highly energized and committed organisation providing training
opportunities for those wishing to enter the theatre industry or hone their
current skills.
Director of PAK is actor Zenzelisphesihle Sparky
Xulu supported by facilitators Nompilo Jili, Nqubeko “Chase” Sithole and Breeh
Cele.
Sparky Xulu is a South African theatre and
television actor. Xulu graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2011
with a Bachelor of Arts (Drama and Film), he had previously been at Rhodes
University where he also studied drama. He has been a freelance actor ever
since. He has performed in various tv, film and theatre productions.
His love for dance saw him being invited to
choreograph his first professional dance piece at the Jomba Contemporary Dance
Festival in 2011. In 2012, Xulu joined Janet Buckland’s theatre company Ubom!
Eastern Cape Drama Company, where he worked as an actor and workshop
facilitator for three years. In his time at Ubom! he got to work with the likes
of Andrew Buckland, Daniel Buckland, Rob Murray and Jessica Harrison.
His transition to television took place in 2013
where he played the role of Vukile in SABC1’s telenovela Mfolozi Street season. Since then Xulu has appeared in various
successful shows such as Isibaya, It’s
Complicated season 1 and 2, Z’bondiwe
and Mfolozi Street season 2. Xulu
recently worked on a 3D motion capture animation feature film Inside Job, under the direction of
Daniel Buckland, where Xulu plays the supporting role of school gym teacher Mr
Hernandez.
Facilitator Nompilo Jili is a 24 year old
theatre and television actress. She is currently doing her second year masters
study in Drama and Performance studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Jili
graduated with a cum laude in her honours year, she has since been a freelance
actress and has performed in various theatre shows and most recently appeared
on SABC 2’s soapie Muvhango.
Jili has performed at the annual Hilton Arts
Festival, Grahamstown National Arts Festival, The HIV awareness Sex Actually
festival as well as the newly-founded Cape Town Fringe Festival. Bald Prima Donna, And The Girls In Their
Sunday Dresses, Match Girl, Her Cradle and Sarafina! are some of the shows that Jili has played lead roles in.
She not only boasts experience as an actress but she is also an up and coming theatre
director. Mbongeni Ngema’s Asinamali,
Mike van Graan’s Green Man Flashing
and her devised show Politrics (which
Jili also wrote) are amongst the shows that she has directed. She is currently
devising a new theatre show where she is tackling issues of identity and
feminism.
Jili’s love for the arts and education has also
seen her being a drama tutor and workshop facilitator. She hopes to use her
experience and education as a tool to empower young girls to reach for their
dreams and to also cope and tackle issues that face them on a daily basis.
Facilitator Nqubeko “Chase” Sithole Chase is a
24 year-old actor who studied drama at UKZN. In his professional capacity, He
has been involved in dance pieces that have toured festivals such as the Jomba
Fringe Festival and Dance Umbrella. In his capacity as an actor, he has
performed at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, Cape Town Fringe Festival
and the Hexagon Theatre. Asinamali, Mooi
Street Moves, Rituale Romannum and Young
Gifted and Gorgeous are amongst some of the plays Chase performed in these
venues. Sarafina! the musical is the
latest of Chase’s work where he played the supporting role of Stimela, he wooed
the crowd with his charm and vocal capabilities which made him a crowd
favourite.
Chase joined the H.D.I youth marketing company
where he toured schools teaching children about the dangers of underage
drinking. Chase is not only a performer and dancer but he is also a highly
recommended camp facilitator. He was trained by one of the biggest organizations
in the world, Youth For Christ. He has since worked on multiple school camps
and has been involved in orchestrating the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s
orientation programme for many years. He is currently working on his one-man show
Avocado that will tour schools and
festivals later this year.
Facilitator and actress Breeh Cele is a Bachelor
of Social Sciences Honours graduate from University of KZN, with majors in
Drama and Performance Studies as well as Media and Film Studies. She is a professional
dancer, actress, and theatre director. She currently works as a theatre
technician at The Hexagon Theatre.
Breeh is the manager of a local musical group,
Acoustiq Assassins. She has worked with Noma Khumalo on countless projects,
prior and post her being crowned as the Idols
winner (2016).
She recently choreographed for Noma Khumalo’s
latest music video, Moving On, which
is currently airing on South African music channels. Her directorial works
include The Bald Prima Donna that was
first staged at The Hexagon Theatre and at The National Arts Festival in 2014. Boesman and Lena which was funded by the
Arts and Culture Trust in 2014, and The
Girls in Their Sunday Dresses which was staged at the Cape Town Fringe
Festival and the Hexagon Theatre in 2016.
Her dance piece Ubuhle bemvelo, was used at the launch of the Winston Churchill
Theatre 2013 and was also performed at Dance Umbrella and Jomba Fringe Festival
in 2014. She also choreographed for the Hexagon Theatre’s production of Sarafina! (2016). She is currently
teaching 1st year movement classes and mentoring UKZN honours students about
dance facilitation.
She has starred in productions such as A Thousand Cranes, Pretty Piece Of Flesh,
1x1=3, Xeno, Ubuntombi. One Lonely Light is a show she performed at The
National Arts Festival in 2013. Her experience of drama and education come from
running a drama educational programme at Sobantu High School in 2012 and was
part of a project called Kickstarters by Assitej South Africa which focused on
Artist Facilitation and training Creative Arts teachers in KZN and Free State.
As part of one of its main goals in enhancing
the arts in communities, The PAK has a set of structured workshops for high school
students. These workshops cover both practical and theoretical elements of the
Drama Curriculum. They also present The Ultimate Drama Camp, a four hour
workshop session with high school drama students as well as the PAK Drama Camp,
a one-day workshop session with Grade 12 drama students.
Another project is The Pietermaritzburg Arts
Kollective Summer School, a two-week long summer school offering professional
and practical hands-on training for participants between the ages of 16 and 30.
PAK also has shows that are available for schools to book.
For more information email: info@thepak.co.za or
visit www.thepak.co.za
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