In the Limelight: Distell National Playwright Competition finalists for 2022

In the Limelight: Distell National Playwright Competition finalists for 2022-five finalists- all female from diverse backgrounds

Four of the five 2022 Distell National Playwright finalists were hosted at the recent National Arts Festival in Makhanda [June 23 to July 3, 2022 #NAF2022 #ItWillChangeYou ], as an initiation into the Festival experience – the end destination for the winning script to be staged in 2023. Watch this space for more news on the finalists. Info as supplied:

It’s all in the Journey for the 2022 Distell National Playwrights

Led by the Distell National Playwright Competition adjudication committee chair, Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi; finalists Sibongakonke Mama, Scout Fynn, Nokuthula Mkwanazi and Nkamogeleng ‘Nkamo’ Lebeloane spoke of their craft as writers, their affinity with language and their appreciation of the moment they find themselves in.

While their reasons differed, the four young writers all spoke of a compulsion to write. Nkamogeleng Lebeloane feels a responsibility to work in the live performance medium because it offers something that no other medium does. She finds writing in her vernacular releases something that is illusive in English and helps her weave more expression into the script. Nokuthula Mkwananzi also spoke of a sense of responsibility in her writing but hers was around a duty to capture and record time and culture through plays.

Sibongakonke Mama’s place was won with her first play. She speaks of a sense of surrender in her writing, opening herself up to the flow and allowing anything to emerge. She will carry this sense of immersion into the mentorship of her script but said she is looking forward to rigorous teaching and hopes to emerge from the process a different writer to the one she is now.

And it was mentorship that all the playwrights were perhaps most excited about. Scout Fynn said it was less about winning for her and more about the opportunity to develop her skills as a writer where she would not otherwise have easily had this opportunity. Opportunities for new writers to break into the space or even have their scripts read are few and far between and it was for this very reason that the Distell National Playwright Competition created the enabling environment for work to be created, shaped and performed. The stories on the stages of tomorrow are yet to be written and these young writers have their pens at the ready.

FULL FEMALE CAST: FINALISTS IN 2022 DISTELL PLAYWRIGHT COMPETITION

The five, all female Distell National Playwright Competition finalists for 2022, come from a variety of backgrounds. They include actors, journalists, and activists. One finalist is also a clown, who uses theatre to make sense of the human heart and its response to gender, identity, power, politics, the past, love, intrigue, and the mysteries of existence.

The five were selected from a record 245 entries, more than double the previous number, with submissions coming from every province in South Africa and in a variety of languages.

The award, established by Distell in 2018, is designed to recognise and reward new, and as yet unpublished scriptwriting talent. It is managed by the National Arts Festival. National Arts Festival CEO, Monica Newton said: “So many entries this year point to the wealth and variety of South African storytelling and scriptwriting talent. It also suggests a rising urgency to communicate that comes in the wake of the pandemic and the seismic universal societal changes that continue to force all of us to keep on questioning who we are, what we can expect from society and the roles demanded of us.

“The competition was founded to honour the creative legacy of Adam and Rosalie Small.  They made an indelible contribution to South African literature, philosophy, and education, while advocating against social injustice. It keeps alive the spirit and integrity of their support for the arts.”

She said the five finalists would each receive a cash prize of R5 000 and the opportunity to be mentored by well-established playwrights to further develop their work for final assessment by the award’s judging panel. The winner, to be announced in October, would receive an additional R20 000 and would get an opportunity to work with industry professionals in bringing their script to the stage. The winning work would debut at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in July 2023.

“After fine-tuning the script and preparing it for production, the winning work will go into extensive rehearsal to ensure a well-polished premier for an audience of theatre lovers and decisionmakers. Our hope is that after its showcasing at the National Arts Festival, the work will go on to be staged at other venues around the country to reach as wide as possible an audience,” Newton explained.   

The most recent winner of the Distell Playwright of the Year was Amy Louise Wilson. She was mentored by Mike van Graan.

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