Young Actors Showcase Storytelling Talent

Oleosi Kgosi | Monday July 31, 2017 18:00

The Maru-a-Pula theatre students presented eight stories of which they performed.  The stories were: The Hidden Princess, Tree Of Love, Pig Party, ‘Dimo’, The Return, Slender Boy, Be Careful What You Wish For as well as Aladdin. The stories were a range of folk tales and had elements of humour, heartbreak, fiction and dance. There were eight groups that performed for the eight pieces respectively. 

The students are the ones who formulated the plays for themselves.   The assessment was mainly carried out to help theatre students explore and build up on their ability of storytelling look realistic. The students were assessed based on the criteria they were able to put themselves in the character’s shoes and display what the character is all about.  The teachers also looked at the proper usage of props on stage and the cooperation of characters on stage. 

The students were urged to rehearse thoroughly and avoid unnecessary moments on stage, which invite disturbance and distraction on the play. The crowd was very responsive, applauding the students on their ability to project their voices well while acting and interacting with the audience during performance. 

The students were also encouraged to treat theatre as a lifestyle and to always practice being in character at least once a day since this would help them improve their craft. One of the students, Katso Magapa highlighted that the theatre project assists them to learn from their mistakes and build on their strengths and development. 

“We are able to act in front of people and this was very difficult for us when we started, he said. “We also did our best as we are very passionate about acting and also ensure that we pass our project assessment.”  

He added that they did not have enough time to rehearse on their plays as they only began three weeks ago.