Cohort: Non current staff

Babalwa Makwetu (Early Years Company) is an actress and a musician. She is a vocalist in the collective Lingua Franca and a member of Future Line Arts Academy. In 2012 she became a trainee at Magnet Theatre, training as a physical theatre practitioner and more. After completing her training at Magnet, she performed in ‘The Playroom’ (2013 Zwakala festival winner) directed by Thandolwethu Mzembe, ‘They Died Singing’ and ‘Umendo’ directed by Thando Doni, ‘Izithyilelo Zobuze’ directed by Mbogeni Nomkhomwanwa & Lwanda Sindaphi, and most recently at the Infecting the City Festival in ‘Mari and Kana’ directed by Mandisi Sindo. During her career as an actress and vocalist, Babalwa has travelled to many different provinces and performed in a vast range of works.

Nolufefe Ntshuntshe (Early Years Company) is a third year Theatre and performance student majoring in Theatre Making. She finished high school in 2004, and has been involved in a number of community theatre projects co-writing and directing theatre productions for her community theatre group Future Line Arts Academy. She has also performed at the Baxter Theatre participating in the Ikhwezi Festival (now known as the Zabalaza Festival). Prior to her coming to study at UCT she was a trainee at the Magnet Theatre for two years, where she worked with Mark Fleishman on the production The Children and the Bees and Mandla Mbothwe on Inxeba Lomphilisi, a play which went to the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2010. She has also done a number of projects directing and facilitating theatre pieces for and with the Mothertongue Project where she is also an intern and board member.

After completing a Drama degree from the University of Cape Town, Nolan Africa (Cederberg Municipality Fieldworker) dabbled in theatre and television briefly before joining the Educational theatre world. First he taught drama at an arts and culture focus school. He then joined Artscape, first as a road show performer and facilitator for SoundTrack4Life. Later he directed and co-facilitated Dance for Life. He then joined the office staff in co-coordinating various education theatre projects. More recently he worked with Zakheni on school projects alongside a Drama Therapist which sparked an interest. In 2013, he completed an Honours degree in Drama Therapy through Drama for Life at the University of Witwatersrand.

Natasha Gana is  a 28 years old actress from Cape Town from Nyanga East. She finished her matric in 2009 and went to New Africa Theatre Academy for 2 years and then came to Magnet Theatre as a trainee. While she was at New Africa, she  performed around Cape Town with Thabo Mbeki and Other Nightmares and Bashed or be Bashed and has performed at the Zabalaza as a  guest performer with Thabo Mbeki and other Nightmares. While at Magnet Theatre she has done various plays including UKHANYO by Thando Doni and THE CITY OF PARADISE by Mark Fleishman , was a third year trainee creating Paired and KUDU with Lwanda Sindaphi and  23 years, a month and seven days with Nwabisa Plaatjie. She is now an EPWP with Magnet Theatre.

Yonela Sithela completed a year’s theatre training on 2009, of Performing Arts and graduated at New Africa Theatre. She also became part of the Lab on the following year which was In 2010 she joined the New Africa Lab and performed in the Robben Island Story.   In 2011 she did Bash Or Be Bashed at Artscape, directed by Thoko Ntshinga and Indonga Ziwelene by Ntombesizwe Tena. Yonela was a member of the Fulltime Training and Job Creation programme at Magnet Theatre between 2012 and 2013. In 2014 She did SECRET FLAMES performed at Water Front School Of Theatre directed by Sisipho Mbopa and BLOOD STAIN at ArtsCape directed by Bulelani Mabutyana. On 2015 she has done AMAZA at ArtsCape, directed by Thoko Ntshinga and done NOMALI MASAMBE directed by Peggy Mmatato. She has been part of the EPWP at Magnet Theatre and now she works as a Culture Gangs facilitator in the townships.

In 2016, She was part of the “Miriam Makheba and the Musical’’ production that performed here in Cape Town and toured America.

Maggi Fernando graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2014 with a Diploma in Theatre and Performance, majored in Theatre Making. She wrote,directed and performed ‘Happy Birthday to me’ for her final performance. She is also a graduate from Magnet Theatre full time training programme 2010‐2011. During her training at Magnet Theatre she performed in ‘Children and the Bees’ directed by Mark Fleishman,‘Amanazo’thando’ directed by Mandla Mbothwe and redirected by Faniswa Yisa and ‘Subliminal’ by Lean Hershler. She was an Expanded Public Work Project intern at Magnet Theatre 2015-2016.She recently wrote and directed ‘(un)locked?’ performed at the Obz Family Festival 2016. Currently she is a fieldworker for Magnet Theatre’s Culture Gangs. Her passion is working with children and is very involved with her community. Maggi is a Culture Gangs Facilitator in Mannenberg, Overcome Heights, Capricorn Park and Retreat.

Honey Mene  was an  Expanded Public Work Programme intern at the Magnet Theatre in the role as technical assistant. He  attended Crossroad High School in Nyanga and in 2010 he joined iThemba labantu Centre in Philippi where he participated in the Magnet Theatre Culture Gangs programme and performed in the following plays: Umlomo Uyadala, Ingxaki Ezingxengwe Ngothando and Eyomsintsi. In 2014 he joined the organization called UKAO and performed in Blood Stain directed by Bulelani Mabutyana, and Push me pull u directed by Bulelani Mabutyane.

Rozanne Holland was a Trainee Administrator Facilitator in the Cederberg Municipality for the Community Arts Project that Magnet Theatre runs in that area. She has worked for Magnet Theatre on the N7 schools project for 3 years. She is 23 years old and started working with Comnet (a local drama group established in Clanwilliam as a result of Magnet Theatre’s presence in the area) at the age of 8. She has taken part in the annual September  Clanwilliam Arts project of Magnet Theatre in collaboration with UCT for 15 years. She has also been a trainee at Magnet Theatre in 2012. She currently works as an ad hoc facilitator on the Farm School Project and Redlinghuys.

Vuyokazi Ngemntu, An alchemist of word, conjure of song and miner o stories, my aim is to create work that blurs the line between the physical and the esoteric reahms. Indigenous knowledge system is a fascination which I explore with the hopes of making Art that inspires and heals the collective (African) psyche. She was a trainee and EPWP with Magnet Theatre 2017.