Wiseman Mncube, a DUT alumnus, recently flew the University flag high at the 2014 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown when he walked away with the fringe Standard Bank Ovation Award for his production Giving Birth To My Father, a one woman show performed by Lihle Fortunate Dhlomo who is also a DUT alumnae.
The production is about a 19-year-old-girl who travels from Durban to Johannesburg in search of her father. When she finds him, she kills him and is given an 18-year sentence for the murder. When she is ultimately released from prison, she is afraid to walk out of jail not knowing what awaits her outside.
“The show is actually a concept by Sizakele Mkhize which I found very interesting to write about,” said Mncube, who wrote and directed the show. “It took me a while to finally get to what we now have since it’s not easy to produce a good script from a good concept,” he said.
The crew behind the production all graduated from DUT. Nkosingiphile Dlamini was Stage Manager and Mthandazo Mofokeng was responsible for lighting.
“Considering that it’s a one woman show, it was a tad nerve wrecking,” said Dhlomo. “However since my director (Wiseman) has a clear and precise vision about how he has structured his story, it makes for an interesting journey, thus an interesting piece of theatre has been created,” she said.
Both Mncube and Dhlomo are winners of the 2012 Best New Comer: Mercury Theatre Awards. Mncube also wrote and directed The Weeping Candle in 2012 which won Best Production/Best Script at the IsiGcawu Festival during the same year (2012). Mncube was also voted Best Actor at the Musho Festival in 2012.
“All in all, 2012 is a highlight in my life,” he said. In 2013, he wrote and directed The Chameleon which also won an award at the IsiGcawu Festival.
Dhlomo also has an impressive CV. In a production called Botoo, written and directed by Ronnie Govender, she portrayed three characters, one of them being an older Afrikaans male. “Most people were shocked that a young black woman portrayed an older Afrikaans male with such precision,” she said. She has also acted in a romantic comedy titled Between Friends which made its premier at the Pan African Film Festival earlier this year (2014) and also showcased at the Cannes Festival. Recently, she also directed a one-man production titled Last Cow Standing written and performed by Menzi Mkhwane which “received amazing reviews from theatre practitioners”.
Speaking about the latest award, Dhlomo said she is extremely excited. “It’s a humbling experience. We have worked hard and smart to get to this point. It’s an amazing feeling,” she said.
Mncube said the award has been his dream since his first attendance at the Festival in 2010 as a third-year student. “Lihle and I once joked about it (the award) during one of the rehearsals and that joke is now a reality. There is a saying in IsiZulu that goes ‘umlomo uyadala’ which means what you say with your mouth becomes a reality,” he said.
Professor Deborah Lutge; Drama and Production Studies HoD congratulated the crew, saying she was extremely proud. “What an achievement. Carry the DUT flag high and know we are so pleased that your talent, even amidst such humility, has been recognised. May you go from strength to strength,” she said.
– Sinegugu Ndlovu
Pictured: Wiseman Mncube
