Sancta 26th Play Festival - Secunda Regional

The SA National Community Theatre Association (Sancta) announces the schedule of productions for its Secunda Festival 1st and 2nd July 2005.The South African National Community Theatre Association (Sancta) announces its schedule for the regional festival it is holding in Secunda at the Johannes Stegmann Theatre in Secunda on July 1 and 2.

This is a precursor to the Sancta Annual One Act Play Festival, which takes place at the Downstairs Theatre at Wits from August 8 to 27.

The Secunda Festival will comprise mainly black community plays. Shows areat 6.45pm on both days with a matinee at 2.30pm on July 2. Tickets are R20,available from the theatre box office in advance or on the day. There are 8 plays performing in blocks of three each. (Sat matinee two).

The Groups performing are - Friday 1st July at 6.45pm

• 1. Ridge Amateur Dramatic Association - Secunda - with a Eng/Afr drama "Skatties", written by Henning Botha - a day in the life of 5 female inmates in a prison in the future. One of them needs to lose a boxing match to escape
• 2. Siyavukela Theatre group - Embalenhle - with a multi lingual drama - "The Jailbird Lovestory" written by Thabiso Seleone - a love story about an ex jail convict
• 3. Zetu - e Ketu Arts Centre - Embalenhle - with a multi lingual drama - "The Reality Emzantsi" written by Thabiso Seleone - The face of life's conflicts explored in a simple man's life that leads to "the I wanna be rich" syndrome

Saturday 2nd July 2.30pm

• 4. African Waves Igagasi - Kinross - with a Play by their senior group "Thutuka Africa" written by Bheki Zwane dealing with Aids. The son of the chief of the village has died of Aids and he cannot come to terms without resorting to violence
• 5. Zetu - e Ketu Arts Centre - Embalenhle - with a play "Rebury my rose" written by Thabiso Seleone - with a drama of conflict and reconciliation between white and black in the Apartheid era

Saturday 2nd July 6.45pm

• 6. African Waves Igagasi - Kinross- with a play "The right of the child" written by Bheki Zwane - by their youth group about children against drugs, violence, Aids and domestic abuse and their rights under the new constitution
• 7. NMCD Productions - Roodepoort - "The Right to Choose" by J Dan Fitzgibbons. "Abortion, Adoption, Womens'Rights". Two couples - one married - and two lesbians - move into adjacent flats. The Wife falls pregnant, against her husbands wishes, and she and the rest have important decisions to make about the baby's future. Do we make the right choices? Do we have "The Right to Choose?"
• 8. Zetu - e Ketu - Embalenhle- "Bolero" - written by Thabiso Seleone - a dance drama - leading us back to our cultural routes to today's life

Scapino Arts Foundation, launched in April 2005 by Henning Botha and Chris Harrison, who are now Sancta's Mpumalanga representatives, will be handling stage management for the festival, in conjunction with Sancta.

Sancta is recognized by The Theatre Managements of SA (TMSA), a professional body of theatre practitioners who run the annual professional Naledi Awards.

Sancta has a category in these awards for "Best Community Theatre Production" sponsored by Computicket Pty Ltd and Howard Kahlanekele from Embalenhle won the Naledi Award at the second ceremony in February 2005. All the plays will be adjudicated for this award by Ishmail Mohammed, Andy Bowman and Noel McDonald, who will give verbal adjudications at the end of each evenings performances.

At the end of Saturday night there will be a short Certificate presentation and the two winning plays will be announced to go to The Sancta Main Festival in Johannesburg in August.

The festival is sponsored by Andisa Capital Ltd, a BEE Financial Institution and Stock Brokers, and Dalro - the Samro Endowment Trust for the Arts.