ACT announces first and second year finalists:
2012 ACT Scholarship winners Tankiso Mamabolo and Gugu Gumede Photo: John Hogg
After combing the country for its finest first and second year university-level performing artists, the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) selected 24 finalists who are in the running for NLC Scholarships.
These 24 students, who excel in either acting, dance, musical theatre or singing, will go head-to-head at final rounds in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
ACT has been supporting arts students through their Scholarship Programme since 2009. But 2016 is an exciting year for the Programme as there are more Scholarships on offer to Grade 12 scholars and first and second year university students than ever before.
Funded by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), and supported by the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Organisation (DALRO) and the Nedbank Arts Affinity, the 2016 Scholarships Programme will change the lives of dramatic arts, singing, dance and musical theatre scholars and students with scholarships to the value of R800 000.
The first year students to make it through to the acting finals are; Nambitha Tyelbooi (Johannesburg), Enyha Swanepoel (Cape Town), and Thembelihle Ngubo (Pietermaritzburg). The first year dance finalists are; Bronwyn Adams (Cape Town), Mari-Claire van Heerden (Pretoria), and Sherizaan Crosson (Pretoria). All three of the first year musical theatre finalists hail from Pretoria, they are; Sindisile Nkuna, Khumbulani Bonani, and Mpilwenhle Sikhosana. Another Pretorian to make it is singer Omphile Kgogome, while Cape Town sees two singing finalists; Blaine Josephs Aqeela Solomons.
In the second year grouping Yonela Ngoni (Durban), Tshegofatso Mabutla (Cape Town), and Ayabonga Makanya (Cape Town) will be competing in the acting category. Awonke Mtojana (Cape Town), Zoe Hannan (Cape Town), and Luzanne De Leeuw (Pretoria) have made it through to the dance finals. Pretorians Hizel Riffel, Songezo Khumalo, and Joëlle Rochecouste will battle it out for a musical theatre scholarship. And Nokukhanya Ntuli (Potchefstroom), Katleho Mokhoabane (Pretoria), and Mihi Matshingana (Johannesburg) will attempt to sing their way to a scholarship.
ACT CEO, Pieter Jacobs says of this collection of gifted university students; “Having gone through the national audition process we are confident that the future of the performing arts in South Africa is in good hands. Choosing from the great talent we have seen during the regional auditions was no easy task and we look forward to seeing the careers of these young artists unfold.”
The Cape Town showcase, set to take place on Wednesday, 21 September at the Baxter Theatre, will see each student from the Western Cape and surrounds perform two pieces, before an audience and a panel of judges. At the end of this showcase, the judges will select a Scholarship recipient in each of the four categories.
The finalists based in Johannesburg and its surrounds, will then go through the exact same process at the Con Cowan Theatre on the UJ Campus on Saturday, 1 October, with the recipients also being announced on the same night.
For more information, please visit http://www.act.org.za/programmes/scholarships.html.
ABOUT THE FINALISTS
FIRST YEAR ACTING
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/WGgv6bpHqQ8
Thembelihle Ngubo; Ngubo is a 19-year-old Drama and Theatre Performance student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus. Beginning her performing arts journey at the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy, Ngubo, in 2014, was on a dramatic arts tour of Shanghai, China. Ngubo loves telling other people’s stories, with the goal of one day telling her own. Performance, for her, is one of the greatest art forms: it gave black South Africans a voice, a platform to speak back in the times of John Khani and Barney Simon. Drama is her voice, her strength, her passion. This year Ngubo has been in two productions, My Life by Athol Fugard, and #SirensRock, in which she played the lead in at the Grahamstown Arts Festival. Ngubo is currently part of the theatre production of Sarafina.
Enyha Swanepoel: Swanepoel is a first year student at UCT, studying a BA in Drama, and moving towards a major in English. She plans to do a PGCE, when she is done studying, which she will then use to teach at a high school. She works part time for Milnerton High School, in their drama department. Working with kids, and exploring different theatrical techniques with them is what Swanepoel loves. Teaching drama and being a part of a child’s journey has always been a dream and passion of hers – and it is beginning to fall into place. Swanepoel brings great energy to her environment, allowing others to feed off her passion, which is to teach and to perform.
Nambitha Tyelbooi: Johannesburg-based Nambitha Tyelbooi is the youngest of three children. Though she was always pushed to excel in mathematics and science, theatre is where her real passion lies. Tyelbooi, who also has a strong love for drawing and poetry, lives by the motto ‘starve your distractions, feed your focus’. She has recently perfromed in Smallanyana Skeleton at the Wits Theatre.
FIRST YEAR DANCE
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/ICOwsS7mgCs
Bronwyn Adams: Twenty two-year-old Bronwyn Adams’ passion for dance started at the age of seven. She is skilled in various dance genres, with a particular focus on African and Contemporary. In 2010, during her high school years, Adams joined the London-based AA Dance Company. After matriculating, she trained with Dance for All, gainning experience in Spanish, Cabaret, Salsa, Jazz and Hip Hop. At the Rainbow Acacdemy of Performing Arts in 2015, she became skilled in business, playing different instruments and in the dramatic arts. She has appeared on live TV shows such as Expresso and Hectic9nine. Currently studying at the UCT School of Dance, she plans on becoming a dance choreographer and giving back to the community.
Mari-Claire van Heerden: The preforming arts has been part of van Heerden’s being for nearly sixteen years. Her interest in dance started at the age of four, and at the age of ten she was introduced to drama. She has been in ballet dance productions such as Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Carnival of The Animals, as well as A Spartacus of Africa and Lyftaal. She has also attended a ballet summer school in Western Australia at WAAPA in 2010 and represented South Africa internationally on various occasions at world dance competitions between 2005 and 2014. Currently studying musical theatre, van Heerden’s long-term goals are to either perform, start teaching or further her studies in sound engineering, lighting, backstage management, or stage make-up. Her ultimate dream is to be a well-established choreographer.
Sherizaan Crosson: Nineteen-year-old Crosson is completing her first year in dance at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). Having matriculated from the National School of the Arts, Crosson was the dance head from Grade 8 to Grade 12 and received multiple awards, including Best Spanish Dancer (2015), Sancta Best Female Supporting Actress for Dance Dpectrum, Alianca Flamenca Gold, and Concours De Ballet 2015: A+ and a Medal for the best performer in the section. Dance, for Crosson, was a way to heal her wounds, while at the same time expose them. Being a shy person, it allows her to communicate non-verbally. Having worked with the likes of Charlie van Rooyen, Gregory Maqoma, Shannon Glover and Lauren Jones, her aspirations are to start a public dance school where she can identify and develop raw talent.
FIRST YEAR MUSICAL THEATRE
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/3yLwTzp_aqc
Sindisile Nkuna: Nkuna, from Mpumalanga, was raised in White River by a single mother of six children. Matriculating in 2015, Nkuna, who has always loved music and performance, groomed her talent by singing at public events and writing plays for school talent shows. Though she has faced challenges as a performer, she continues to grow. She wants to feed and heal souls with what she has learnt. She aspires to inspire.
Khumbulani Bonani: Bonani is a first year Musical Theatre student at the Tshwane University of Technology. She was born in Port Elizabeth, raised in Pretoria and is the third of four children. She began singing at the age of six, and at ten joined her primary school choir. She studied Music in secondary school and matriculated from Ed-U College High School in 2015 where she did well academically. Khumbulani has performed at the State Theatre, where she was a finalist in Jabulani Centre Stage in 2012. This is her second time trying out for an ACT Scholarship and she’s hoping to be a good ambassador for the programme.
Mpilwenhle Sikhosana: Sikhosana is a student at Oakfields College studying Musical Theatre and Dance. At Robert Hicks Primary School she discovered her life dream is to be a performer. At Pro Arte Alphen Park High School she studied Dramatic Arts, and grew as a performer. In Grade 11 Sikhosana studied music through UNISA until Grade 3 level. It was after being cast as a lead in the school musical that she realised that her life was heading in the right direction.
FIRST YEAR SINGING
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/4Nq2B6fuwN4
Omphile Kgogome: Rustenburg-born Kgogome has made it a point to strive for her goals – becoming a singer and an orchestra conductor. She is studying vocal art performance at the Tshwane University of Technology. Her love and passion for music was realised at a young age. Having started singing at Sunday school, she was a provincial soprano solo champion at the 2012 SASCE competitions, where she performed with her school choir.
Blaine Josephs: Josephs, a nineteen-year-old Capetonian, is a singer and pianist, with a love for theatre and performance. Having matriculated from The Settlers High School, he is studying a towards Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Stellenbosch. Josephs has recently performed at the Artscape Opera House in a once-off show. He has performed in many productions at school, often taking the role as a soloist in the production, as a singer or actor. He is also a member of the Stellenbosch University Camber Choir. He wishes to share his talent and teach others the art of singing. He is interested in arranging and composition as well.
Aqeela Solomons: Solomons was fostered at the age of fourteen days old and by the age of three she was diagnosed with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. Having this condition meant she couldn’t attend a mainstream school; however through hard work and perseverance she completed Matric. Solomons’ passion was always been music and in 2010 she entered the Westgate Mall Voice Search and was one of the finalists. Due to her passion for music, her parents enrolled her into Cedar High School of Arts, here she excelled in music, and in Grade 11 she was given the starring role in a musical theatre production. Solomons’ has performed regularly at concerts and choir competitions for the school. After Matric, she auditioned for the Rainbow Academy and was one of 30 students who were chosen to study Performing Arts and Business. Her highlights at the Rainbow Academy include performing at the Iziko Museum, Cancer Relay, doing in-house concerts, the Cape Town Carnival and doing a Youth day performance at the V&A Waterfront.
SECOND YEAR ACTING
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/r5RF6kJ_WAs
Yonela Ngoni: Second year Drama and Production Studies student, Ngoni, grew up in the small town of Qumbu in the Eastern Cape. Her passion and talent for the dramatic field emerged as she furthered her high school studies at Ugie High School. Ngoni was obliged to take a study break in 2014 due to financial constraints, and spent the entire year bouncing in and out of jobs to raise enough money to register for the following year. Fortunately, she enrolled successfully at DUT for Drama studies in 2015. As an aspiring young theatre practitioner, Ngoni specialises in scriptwriting and theatre dance. Over the past two years she has been cast in fourteen theatre productions, playing lead roles in five productions. With a huge appetite for an education and place in the creative field, she believes that nothing is impossible when you invest your all to reach your destination.
Tshegofatso Mabutla: Mabutla is an actress and theatre maker who is working on compiling poetry, stories and song material in her mother tongue, Sepedi. She is currently working with her second year class of theatre maker majors, on a melodrama script that they intend on performing towards the end of this semester. Mabutla is also running a self-development project where she collaborates with artists to create a photography and video series that aims to document the perspectives and opinions attached to beauty, rape and abuse victim blaming and shaming, and the shame attached to the sexual liberation of women.
Ayabonga Makanya: At twenty one, Makanya is an upcoming actor who is determined to do anything to make his aspirations come through. Born in the Eastern Cape and raised by his grandmother, he moved to Uitenhage at the age of five to live with his siblings and parents. During his years as a scholar at Muir College Boys High he was involved in a number of programmes, namely Head of Drama Society, Head Librarian, Soloist for the choir, Traditional song Choir Conductor. As a member of the Eastern Cape Youth Choir, he was nominated as Head of Choir/Conductor, receiving an award for Most Promising Tenor. He was a member of the student Christian Association and the Interact Club, which provided him with the platform to do motivational speaking. He is currently doing year two of his three year Bachelor of Professional Acting course at City Varsity, training to become a professional actor.
SECOND YEAR DANCE
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/QUuHmhLjZq8
Awonke Mtojana: Nineteen-year-old Mtonjana was born in Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and raised in Mthatha and Kokstad respectively. He discovered his love for dance through community dancing in UMzimkhulu. His very first role was the Blind Prince, after which he regularly partook in school plays, experimenting in choreography and acting. He later moved to Lady Grey Arts Academy, where he fully immersed himself in the arts. He is currently studying his second year of a Diploma in Dance Education, majoring in Ballet and Contemporary Dance, at the UCT School of Dance. He says his biggest dream is to be on Broadway and television.
Zoe Hannan: Hannan is a ballet and contemporary dancer studying a BMUS Dance Degree at the UCT School of Dance. She was born and raised in East London and went to Clarendon Girls High School. Hannan started dancing at the age of six but only understood and began to love dance when she was thirteen, thanks to the late Geraldine Cross. She trained at the Geraldine Cross School of Ballet and from the huge amount of support from her many teachers all over East London and her parents, she achieved a Distinction in RAD advanced 2 and travelled to the 2013 Genee International Ballet Competition. Since then she has danced in many productions and worked with the Cape Town City Ballet. Her goal is to complete her degree, dance professionally, study her RAD teachers and one day become an examiner in Dance.
Luzanne De Leeuw: Born and raised in Ennerdale, south of Johannesburg, De Leeuw was not exposed to the arts, so she never had the opportunity, while growing up, to foster her talent and love for performing. After matriculating, she decided to take a gap year during which she attended an open dance class in Newtown. This was her introduction to the world of dance. Performing on stage was always what she wanted to do with her life but she didn’t have the avenues and didn’t think that she could learn to dance professionally; she had always heard of dancers who started ballet at a tender age and never thought technical dance would be something she could learn. While taking open classes in Newtown for that year, she stumbled upon pamphlets advertising aspiring dance professionals to audition to study Dance Studies at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2015. Her proudest moment thus far has been performing at the State Theatre’s Incubator programme in a major production titled MOLO. She is now in her second year of University at TUT and hopes to continue with her studies and graduate in her Bachelors of Technology in Dance Teaching, Composition and Performance.
SECOND YEAR MUSICAL THEATRE
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/ujc3GNkieR8
Hizel Riffel: Riffel schooled at Paarl Gymnasium, where he was mentored by a supporting group who helped him rise above circumstances and who inspired him to pursue his dreams. His passion for Musical Theatre emerged while entering local Eisteddfods and productions such as Grease (2011), Wannabe The Musical (2012) and The Wizard of Oz (2013). He also shows leadership skills, as a member of the student-council in 2014, the Chairperson of the UCCV committee and winning the Superintendent Prize in 2014. Being accepted at Oakfields College, he was afforded opportunities to work backstage on Ignatius van Heerden’s J’zel in 2015, and David Blochs’, Bidvest on Broadway, and The Cradle Will Rock (2015). This year he is a part of Dr Harhold Mortimor’s and Weslee Swain’s Songs for a New World, which was performed at The National Arts Festival.
Songezo Khumalo: Khumalo is an inspired student at Oakfields College. She was born in Port Elizabeth but grew up and finished her primary school in Ladysmith, KZN, where her family is based. She attended high school at the National School of the Arts in Braamfontein, majoring in Drama and this is where her passion and love for the arts grew. She has been involved in both backstage and onstage work. Khumalo is currently involved in a production directed by Prof. Harold Mortimer, from The University of Oklahoma, and Weslee Lauder, which was performed at the NAF2016.
Joëlle Rochecouste: Rochecouste was born and raised in Johannesburg, where she attended Parktown High School for Girls. There she was involved in numerous productions such as Grease, Nunsense, A Mid Summers Night Dream and many other smaller productions. This only grew her passion to persue performance as her career. For approximately four years she was also involved in television, where she presented YoTv; however, this came to an end when she decided to focus on her studies. She is currently completing her three year Diploma course at Oakfields College in Pretoria, where she has had the opportunity to work under acclaimed professionals such as musical director Wessel Odendaal and Brian Schimmel, director Elizma Bardenhorst, and choreographers Weslee Lauder and Ignatius van Heerden.
SECOND YEAR SINGING
Watch the auditions here: https://youtu.be/QUuHmhLjZq8
Nokukhanya Ntuli: Ntuli, born and raised in Kimberley, grew up in a musical home where both her parents sang in the church choir; she always accompanied them to rehearsals and performances. She joined her first choir at the age of fourteen. At seventeen, she took part in the South African School Choir Eisteddfod where she represented the Northern Cape Province at the national level. This is where she decided to follow a career in the music industry – opera, specifically. She is now a second year music student at the North West University, with the voice being her major instrument.
Katleho Mokhoabane: Mokhoabane is a second year student at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), currently doing his diploma in vocal art under the supervision of Thami Zungu. Coming from a small town in the Free State, Mokhoabane completed his Matric in 2014 with a National Diploma. He was involved in the school choir were he gained a love for opera. At the TUT he was involved in Coronation mass by WA Mozart, The Magic flute by WA Mozart and Falstaff by G Verdi. He is currently busy with Cosi fan Tutte playing the role of Ferando. After completing his Diploma, Mokhoabane would like to study at the University of Cape Town to get close to the one opera company that is operating fulltime in South Africa.
Mihi Matshingana: Matshingana is a twenty four-year-old performer, composer and lyricist. She completed her BCom in Financial Management in 2014 and is currently a second year BMus Jazz Performance student at the University of Witwatersrand. She got her first taste of jazz at the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival in Grahamstown, and since then has been immersing herself in South Africa’s jazz scene. She recently represented South African jazz at a jazz summer camp in Norway. She has performed with many international jazz musicians and South Africa’s top musicians including Feya Faku, Andre Petersen, Zonke, Amaeshi Ikechi, and many more.
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Source: Port Elizabeth – MyPR.
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