2016 Artscape High School Drama Festival Announces Winners

The 2016 Artscape High School Drama Festival competition was celebrated in grand style following the announcement of the winners at an awards ceremony held at the Artscape Theatre on the 20 August 2016.

The 13 finalist schools, selected from over 36 entries across the Western Cape Province spent four action-packed days from 15 - 18 August presenting their extraordinary drama projects to a panel of adjudicators including Johann van der Merwe, Ilne Fourie and Bulelani Mabutyana.

Generously supported by Die Burger and the HCI foundation, the 2016 High School Drama Festival was initiated and coordinated by Artscape's educational youth development programme, which aims to promote social cohesion, good citizenship and empowerment through the arts. The festival is a catalyst for young people to express themselves creatively how they see South Africa and Africa and to engage with each other across cultural barriers, language and geographical areas, to start to build an understanding of the environment they live in. Thokozile Ntshinga, Director for Artscape Audience Development and Education, comments:

This is a momentous occasion with so many groups participating and I would like to thank all the judges, teachers and artists for what they have done and it is a great honour for us to open our doors to the groups. This competition is about installing critical thinking in these young actors minds, make friends with other groups from other areas and cultures so that they appreciate and respect each other and have dignity.

The benefits of participating in the competition are numerous and ongoing. Schools become hubs of sustainable learning as they are given a platform to voice their own creativity, views and concerns to a captive audience while they also get an opportunity to broaden their horizons by experiencing the magic of live theatre, lights, sound and an audience.

The 2016 Artscape High School Drama Festival Competition Winners included Thobela Mazile from Khwela Community Project in Khayelitsha (Best Actor), Tulisa Sinandile from Immaculata Girls High in Wittebome (Best Actress), Aviwe Mathabeka from Masibambane High School in Kraaifontein (Best Supporting Actor) and Siyamtanda Madondile from Table View High in Table View (Best Supporting Actress). The Adjudicators Award for the Most Promising Actor was presented to Thamsanqa Dywili and Ayabonga Yantolo from Ikwezilesizwe Drama Group in Khayelitsha.

The award for Best Director was won by Siphenati Siqwayi from Ithemba Theatre Organisation in Kraaifontein, while the Goliath Davids Arts Academy in Heidelberg was awarded the Best Technical Award. TRAFFIC LIGHTS by Natalie Kitching from Rhenish Girls High in Stellenbosch was named as the Best Script, with GEKETTING by the Goliath Davids Arts Academy in Heidelberg winning Best Production.

The Artscape Theatre Centre, which belongs to the provincial administration, was opened on 19 May 1971 as the Nico Malan Theatre Centre. In line with the new South African Political dispensation and the concurrent changes, the complex was renamed in March 2001. The mission of Artscape is to facilitate, produce and promote the arts in ways that advance nation building and to establish business partnerships involving all stakeholders.

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