When do you know you have finally been promoted from “emerging” director to fully-fledged professional? For Ntshieng Mokgoro the answer is the Standard Bank Young Artists Award.
“At last, the stamp of approval! It is a wonderful recognition as a professional director. Even though I’ve done a number of professional productions I’ve been seen for so many years as an ’emerging’ director. So this feels like an acknowledgement, a gateway to a professional level. It gives me confidence and encouragement in my work.
“To be able to go the National Arts Festival as the Young Artist, on the main festival, is an incredible opportunity to do what I do best — whether the audience loves the work or not, that’s up to them. I don’t see the award as a pressure, but rather a pleasure.”
Mokgoro doesn’t want to make too much out of being the first black female recipient of the drama award, but it’s a first none the less.
“It is an honour I’ll cherish forever and, as a self-taught director, it really gives me the message that I’ve been doing my work well. It is extremely humbling and satisfying and an inspiration to other female directors — if I can do it, so can they.”
Her story, as a self-taught director in community theatre, reflects the successful (some may say too slow) integration of community theatre practitioners into the mainstream that has been happening over the last couple of decades.
“I was part of a group of displaced youth, living in church halls and community centres — this was during the political violence in Alexandra in the early 1990s. We wanted to form a youth club. We had a debating club, sports club, everything except a drama club — so we decided to start one. It was those days of community theatre when you could be part of a cast of 40 or more and even if you just came on in the last scene and took a bow it was enough.”
Working as an assistant librarian led her into directing: “Part of my job description was story-telling for primary school kids. I started encouraging them to dramatise books. My directing just started there, doing small productions every week. I didn’t know what I was doing yet, all I knew was that I enjoyed it.”
Mokgoro soon gained an understanding of “what she was doing” and formed her own community theatre group, honing her directing and writing skills. Her first production, The Anger, was successfully showcased at the Market Theatre Laboratory and was selected for the Zwakala Festival.
The next big step was a resident project at the Lab and some serious mentoring from then artistic director of the Market Theatre, Lara Foot Newton. The result, Umdlwembe, was part of the Barney Simon Young Directors Festival, had a professional season at The Market Theatre in December 1999, was funded by Standard Bank to go to the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, in 2000 and won the Grahame Lindop Award for the most promising young director on stages at The Market Theatre in 2000.
A writing workshop with Zakes Mada resulted in her next play, Eyes of Truth, directed by Sello Maake Ka Ncube for the Barney Simon Young Writers Festival.
After a short break as an administrator in a crèche, “I soon realised success as a director didn’t mean money in your purse, but the break didn’t last long”.
Another residency followed at the Lab. The play, Vale of Tears, was nominated for a Naledi Award in 2006. In 2007 she wrote and directed Thursday’s Child, which won an award at the Market Lab’s Zwakala Festival and was performed in Vienna at the Youth Festival.
Not bad for a township girl who got her “accidental” start in an era of political upheaval and a proliferation of youth drama groups.
“And this award was announced on the same day Obama was elected as President Elect of the US!” she says with a laugh.
Mokgoro’s quick sense of humour and infectious laugh belies the serious, powerful female voice and the strong sense of ritual she brings to the stage. “I always go into a production saying I won’t use ritual this time, but it always comes out. It’s definitely something inside me, I am a deeply spiritual person and I love honouring African ritual, specifically rituals involving women, around childbirth, arranged marriage, death”.
Mokgoro would like to see government and business putting more money into development, creating space and access for new work. “When you go to a commercial management they are very quick to remind you they are taking a risk on your work, undermining you as a director. We have to decide what is more important; to ‘risk’ telling the stories we need to tell or to do risk-free work.”
The 2009 selection of Mokgoro may be part of the shake-up South African theatre needs. So-called community theatre should, after all, be judged by professional standards with similar expectations. It should also have full access to mainstream venues.
Mokgoro calls it “theatre with soul that can take your breath away — for a minute”.
- Ntshieng Mokgoro’s The Olive Tree shows at this year’s National Arts Festival from July 6 to 8 at the Graeme College auditorium. The play deals with traditional African life as it unfolds in the shadow of the olive tree named in the title. Cast in the play are Mmabatho Mogomotsi, Warone Seane and Nqobile Sipamla.