During Redhill School’s RedFest, talented school musicians, actors and drama enthusiasts were invited to perform at the Sandton-based high school.
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The festival also offered external performers the opportunity to perform and share their talent.
On 8 October, a drama company, The Movement RSA, which comprises drama and acting graduates, performed at the school. One of the company’s actors, Jóvan Muthray, explained that the school had invited them to perform the play, Just Antigony, an adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone.
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Muthray, who played King Creon, explained, “The play has been adapted by our director, Mahlatsi Mokgonyana. It is a tragedy and there is quite a lot of action. There is also a lot of choral and ensemble work whereby the actors all talk in unison. We have taken the original text and changed it,” he said.
He highlighted that the play is very complex and difficult to understand for pupils who may not be exposed to drama on a regular basis. “We, therefore, made it accessible to everyone so that it can be better understood by the youth who watch this performance.”
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Mokgonyana offered his advice during their rehearsal at the school. He explained where the actors should stand, how they should use their props and the manner in which they should say certain lines. The company interacted passionately and enthusiastically during this rehearsal.
“We put this play together without the help of teachers or lecturers. We are a group of recent graduates from Wits, Afda and the Market Theatre Lab,” said Mokgonyana.
Muthray stressed that it is important for the youth to be exposed to the arts and drama. “The youth should be exposed to more complex forms of drama as it makes them think. It is like reading a book instead of just watching the movie; the mind sometimes has to work; societies need this form of art to feel alive.
“We perform an interactive form of art that engages you on several different levels, regardless of your age.”
