Matimpole Arts Deliver Profound Theatrical Performance
Spira Tlhankane | Monday February 15, 2016 18:00
Upon entering the stage for act one, Matimpole’s presence delighted everyone as they sang a traditional song to introduce the first scene at Matimpole (rural settlement).
The lead actress arrived on stage to introduce her frustrations to the audience.
She expressed disregard for her boyfriend of seven years and her uncle, who is forcing her to work at the fields and find a better man.
One of the interesting scenes is where one of the actors used a guitar to explain his experience at the depot.
A couple creates an appealing conversation as they switch to talk about the main character and her problems in Matimpole.
The background music also set the mood for every scene. The lead character then decides to leave Matimpole and moves to Magcity where she aims to transform her life for the better.
Matimpole Arts’ approach to every scene wis original and the classic scene where they welcome Nono to Magcity lifted everyone’s mood and described every character through music.
As the plot unfolds, Nono falls in love with a young man called Hope who takes her in when she has nowhere to go.
Their love grows and Hope ends up proposing marriage. As they reach the climax, Nono values her roots and tradition and requests for the wedding to be held at her home in Matimpole.
Being a city boy, Hope refuses and the outcome of their conflict conceives a touching scene where they both strip off their clothes on stage.
Nono takes off her clothes to show that she wants nothing to do with anything that reflects the city life, while her boyfriend also does the same to show that he is even crazier than her.
The actress goes all out to express her emotions over this turn of events. As she slowly weeps on stage, the background music complements her heart-rending sobs and the sad mood suddenly engulfs the theatre as the audience sympathise with her.
The couple makes up to complete act one.
When act two commences with the setting back to Matimpole, Hope is introduced to the rural life.
The wedding preparations are in motion and one of the scenes showed old men in wedding negotiations and the actors sang dikoma wonderfully to reflect some of the elements of Botswana culture.
They also meet challenges on the way as Nono’s drunkard boyfriend resurfaces to cause complications and ends up stabbing her.
Stouks ended up committing suicide when he realised that the mob was after him.
As the marriage wounds healed, the negotiations went back on track but Nono’s family refused money as bogadi demanding cattle instead.
The two families manage to meet halfway and the wedding takes place after all the complications that stood on the way of the couple hence the title Love In The Making.
The play was written and directed by the founder of Matimpole Arts, Oageng Lemogang better known as Ras Logic.