Artscape's Incubators Triumphant At The Trade Fair Awards

Artscape Theatre Centre's 2016 Incubators group came out triumphant at the inaugural Arts Enterprise Development "Trade Fair" bagging two awards for their production "Everyone Has It".

Dimisani Siziba was awarded Best Male Performer for his stunning performance as Mzubanzi, a young man from the Eastern Cape who is abandoned after birth and raised by his grandmother into a world that is wretched and seems to collude against him as he journeys into self and introspects through the eyes of others. The group also earned recognition for Best Script of the nine plays presented.

This exciting initiative, which was on stage at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg from 18 - 24 June witnessed the country's six state-funded Performing Arts Institutions (PAI's) cement the extraordinary pact with government to build capacity and creativity through the Incubator Programme, initiated and funded by the Department of Arts and Culture.

Says Marlene le Roux, CEO of Artscape: "The Artscape Theatre Centre is proud to be associated with this programme and to end this phase at the Trade Fair with two National Awards with Best Script and Best Male Actor is an achievement we can be proud of. This venture brings to light the critical components needed for the longevity of the art sector and the display of Theatre being alive, the heart of Theatre spirit and Theatre soul".

The production was born out of a series of workshops, brain storming sessions, organisational development methods and input from the five organisations who participated to the 2016 incubator programme - Arts of Hearts, Tiervlei Arts, Tag Changers/Yi Magazine, Unmute Dance Company and WeCCMA. Together they workshopped the production, script and attended master classes under the stewardship of the living legend- Ronnie Govender.

The Incubator Programme is an integral part of Artscape's mission as an inclusive cultural centre for all and showcasing all arts genres for more than four decades making it stand out as an iconic cultural beacon in the Western Cape.

The week long Arts Incubator Trade Fair showcased a diverse offering of theatre, poetry and dance produced and presented by Artscape Theatre Centre, the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (Pacofs), the Durban Playhouse, The South Africa State Theatre, the Windybrow Arts Centre and the Market Theatre.

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