Dramatic Entrance
Two weeks into my arrival in the city of Johannesburg, into the diverse Drama for Life (DFL) programme at the University of Witwatersrand, I found myself rehearsing for the Trial of the Senior Citizen, a play which changed my life, and brought taboo issues to the discussion table and got the audience talking!
It was a new experience for me in terms of performing in an applied theatre piece. This proved to be a brave casting on 2009 DFL scholar Bhekilizwe Bernard Ndlovu’s part, as my inexperience was quite a risk to take for his final Master’s degree exam!
The controversial subjects addressed in Bheki’s Trial of the Senior Citizen were truly thought-provoking and reaffirmed my participation in the Drama for Life programme: drama in action has the most amazing effects on cast and audience.
My role as the defence lawyer for a character I would never speak for in real life gave me a good challenge. The insight I got into the actor’s world and the amount of preparation it requires to get “into character” was incredible.
Bheki was a great director, firmly but gently giving us the direction he wanted his piece to go, while the other cast members were helpful with their rich experience, and patient with my lack of such.
We performed the play over four days, each performance being different. The outcome was a wonderful experience, hopefully a good grade for Bheki and an entertaining show for our audience.
I would like to thank the audience for taking part; cast members’ friends and family who came out to watch; and sponsors and funding partners of the DFL programme.
This Life needs more Drama – Drama for Life!
By Tshiamo Petersen