Cohort: Staff

Smamkele Mentyisi is a writer and performance artist from Khayelitsha, Cape Town. He holds a BA (Hons) in Theatre & Performance Studies (Majoring in Theatre Making) from the University of Cape Town. Smamkele’s work explores queerness, masculinity and ancestral spirituality in a post-apartheid South Africa. The work utilizes, sonic psychedelia, image collages, and performative installations. Smamkele has performed in Infecting the City (2019), Body Politics (2018), Live Art Acarde (2019), Impulse CPT (2019)

Mluleki Titi is a Theatre technician and designer. He worked as technical intern at Artscape Theatre (2017 -2018), where he developed skills in lighting, sound, audio visuals, stage management, set designing, technical maintenance. As theatre technician I was fortunate to be technician for National Arts Festival 2019, where he worked with different actors and producers in vast shows. He also work as Technical Manager of Makukhanye art room 2020. He has 2 years working as technical assistant at Magnet Theatre where he focuses on lighting and sound, venue managing, stage management and production manager and assisting set designs.

Mark Fleishman (Artistic Director and Managing Trustee) (BA, Perf. Dip (Speech and Drama) MA (UCT), PHD (UCT)) is Professor in the Drama Department at the University of Cape Town. He is an award winning director and has directed most of Magnet Theatre’s productions since ‘The Shows Not Over ’til the Fat Lady Sings’. He also functions as a writer, not only of theatre texts but of many published academic articles, mainly on South African theatre and is an internationally respected theatre maker and academic.

Jennie Reznek (Artistic Director and Trustee)  (BA Perf. Dip in Speech and Drama, UCT; Ecole Jaques Lecoq, Paris; MA ,UCT) is a graduate of University of Cape Town Drama school and studied in Paris with Jacques Lecoq for two years (1984 -1986). She is a director of Magnet Theatre and  has lectured in movement at University of Cape Town. She has worked as an aerialist and clown in the circus; a movement director and choreographer; a puppeteer with Handspring Puppet Company and is responsible for the bulk of the  creative and teaching programs of the company.

Livie Ncanywa is 21 years old, from Nyanga East and matriculated from Zonnebloem Nest High School. Previously he was involved with New Born Theatre, in Nyanga.

Zizipho Quluba is 20 years old. She was born 8 of July, 1994 in the Eastern Cape at Umtata and now lives in Gugulethu, NY3A. She is a third year trainee at Magnet Theatre.  She matriculated in 2013 from Wynberg High School Arts Focus School. Her goal is to mentor youth and give back what she have learnt these past years.

Luthando Mvandaba was born in Cape Town in 1990 but originated from the Eastern Cape where his parents come from. In 1989 he went to Nkazimulo Primary School and in 2006 he started his High School at Chris Hani Arts and Culture Focus School. After he finished his matric, he joined a community group called Buyelekhaya Traditional Dancers, Performing around Cape Town and out side and during the world cup season. In 2011 he went to Grahamstown with a production called Ibhekile Evuzayo (Leaking Calabash). In 2014 and 2015 he was part of the training at Magnet Theatre and is now doing a third year at Magnet Theatre.

Lwando Magwaca is from Nyanga East. He is currently doing a third year at Magnet Theatre. He runs an arts project called Tales Of Chronicles, which deals with African Indigenous poerty, for the past 8 years. He also leads a Christian Movement called Anointed Youth Movement that is based on empowering and equipping youth from different backgrounds for the past 6 years. He is a co-founder of Nyanga Yethu Project that runs a gang-intervention project, through arts and performances, for the past 6 years. He is currently running a new project called Thethani – a debating project that stimulates cognitive discussions that excavates leaders, motivational speakers and public talks that inform community and help build role models.

Mandla Mbothwe is an Artistic Director of Magnet Theatre and drives the Culture Gangs Programme. He is an acclaimed South African playwright, researcher, director, art teacher and theatre practitioner.  A previous Artistic Director at the Steve Biko Centre and former Creative Manager at Artscape Theatre Centre he has created theatre productions of high quality, in South Africa and abroad, dealing with cultural and historical themes. Some of his noteworthy work includes Isivuno sa maphupha (Harvesting of dreams), Ingcwaba le ndoda lise cankwedlela (The grave of the man is next to the road), Umyenzo we zandi (Eden of sounds), Inxeba lo mphilisi (The wound of a healer), Voices of Women, Ukutshona ko Mendi (The sinking of the Mendi), Biko’s Quest, G7-OkweBokwe, Biko-Rising and Iyazika to mention but few.   The theatre stalwart has won several awards including the Handspring Puppetry Award for Best Visual Theatre (2010), Fleur du Cap Award with Mark Fleishman and Jennie Reznek for Innovation in Theatre (2010), Fleur du Cap Award for Innovation in Theatre (2013) and Eastern Cape Arts & Culture Award for Outstanding Contribution in Drama (2013). Mbothwe is a Founder and Artistic Director at Mud and Fire Parables. Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Cape Town, Co-Artistic director at Magnet Theatre and co-Artistic director at Mbothwe and Doni Collectives.  He completed his master’s degree in Theatre and Performance with distinction at University of Cape Town.

Jenny Hewlett (Administrator) graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a Diploma in Fine Art. She worked as a set painter for Artscape (formerly CAPAB) and as a freelance artist and designer. Jenny was a business owner, a builder, a project manager and client manager before joining Magnet Theatre in June 2015.