Watching Seputla Sebogodi is like watching a beautiful sunset over the horizon. The stage suits him. His authoritative presence is alluring, almost mesmerising, in his play Tailormade.
“It’s a play people come away from with different ideas,” he says, “but for me, it is about the claiming of human dignity. Each of us is locked in our own jail. It is now nearly 10 years of freedom in South Africa and what have we achieved?”
He peruses my face for an answer, then his expression grows grave and dark as he prepares an explanation.”It was 27 April, and I saw an accident happen, two black men were trapped in a truck. I called the police, paramedics, and the white owner of the truck the men were travelling in. When the owner arrived, rather than show concern for his workers, he was very derogatory, using words that should not be used by anyone again.”
That was on Freedom Day – a day Sebogodi says started off optimistically, but ended on a bleak and sombre note.
He sighs and says, “I asked myself, what does this mean to us as people? Hopefully, the play will make people search within themselves for these answers.”
As I watch him jump from railings on the stage and occasionally throw jokes at his colleagues, he strikes me as a man with an admirable desire to educate people through his plays in an enjoyable, relaxed way.
Tailormade is his 44th professional play. Comparing the world of theatre to that of film, he says, “With theatre, one is able to achieve change a lot easier than film. It’s because theatre happens then and there – right in front of you, as you watch it.”
He pauses for a minute, smiles slyly and continues, “And also don’t forget that 95 percent of what you see on film is lies.”
But where did it all start for this illustrious thespian?
“Well, it’s a very weird story,” he says with a laugh. “I really thought I was going to be a soccer star, until I got injured. I used to go and watch my friends perform in school plays a lot. One day an actor didn’t arrive. I stood in for him and I caught the bug.”
The bug gripped him all those years ago and refused to let go. He is lucky to be doing what he loves and he wishes it could be easier for young performers struggling to get into theatre.
“In this country, it is still hard for actors to break into the industry and it shouldn’t be,” he says adamantly. “In my opinion I think we have the wrong people administering the arts, people who do not have the interests of actors at heart.”
Sebogodi is working with a group of young actors who are also performing at the festival. It was a mission getting them down here.
“I had to borrow money from friends to bring them down here to perform,” he says, shaking his head. “They got no help from the National Arts Council. Until we have people who have the interests of the artists at heart there will never be any change.”
Sebogodi is tired of the same old story from the Council, of having to make endless phone calls and getting no help.
“The cultural drought suffocates me. It makes me just want to pack up my bags and leave.”
But he has hope – that there will come a day when colour is no longer an issue and young artists will get the support they need to revolutionise the world of theatre. – ECN-Cue