Alex Theatre Company and Academy

ALEX THEATRE COMPANY

AND ACADEMY Keeps the Flame Burning

Before the dawn of democracy in South Africa, theatre played a vital role in society and was another wing of the anti-apartheid movement. But following the end of the unjust system in 1994, theatre began to exist in a vacuum.

Today, support for the theatre has dwindled so much that the State Theatre has been forced to collaborate with cinema chain Ster-Kinekor as a way of piquing people's interest in the performing arts, by taking plays to the big screen. But the Alex Theatre Company and Academy works tirelessly to keep the theatrical flames burning.

ACCESS TO THE THEATRE SPACE

It was established in 2018 by industry leader Mpho J Molepo, who partnered with various practitioners in the creative industries. One of the greatest feats of this partnership is that all the stakeholders are from Alexandra and have been exposed to both formal and informal educational programmes in their respective journeys in the arts.

The intention behind establishing the Academy lies on the bedrock of being inherently concerned with giving back to the community of Alexandra and creating a centre of excellence, while bridging the gap between formal and informal creative training programmes. “The role of the Company and Academy in Alexandra Township is to create access for arts training and arts development in dance, music, acting and technical production studies, and also to use performance arts as medium of communication to address social issues,” Archie Matsetela, a director of the theatre, tells Spot-On.

The directorship of the company includes the cofounder directors Molepo and Mpho Masilela. While the founding directors include Alfred Madiga, Ms Tsholo Thipe and the late Otto Moloto.

A NEW NAME

“We have been operating as Alex Arts Academy, so this year we decided to add the performance company and decided to rebrand. We are now Alex Theatre Company and Academy,” Matsetela says.

“We do part-time theatre classes for children and youth class; we have a full-time performance company; and we also host workshops and events. So, we have impacted more than 900 children and youth since the inception of the Academy through training, performance, events and workshops.” The Alex Theatre Company and Academy has students from as far as Ekurhuleni, Soweto, Midrand, the Joburg inner city and Orange Grove, among others. “We might be operating in Alex, however, our training and accessibility are not only limited to the area,” says Matsetela.

The Company comprises 15 graduates who have signed a one-year contract, through which they are offered an opportunity to participate in the industry. This, after having gone through an extensive and intensive training programme over the last two years.

BEING SUSTAINABLE

The co-director says the theatre doesn’t have a set budget to operate and depends on external funding. “We survive by project-based funding, so we keep applying for funds for our projects. Sometimes we get it and most times just receive rejection letters. We don't have funds to run the Academy, but we can't stop because of this. We keep going and looking for other alternatives to generate funds. The Company was created so we could produce our own shows and do corporate gigs.”

At the time of writing, the Alex Theatre Company and Academy was organising a film screening for children and youth, in partnership with the Gauteng Film Commission.

Archie Matsetela, a director of the theatre Founder and director Mpho J Molepo Co-founder and director Mpho Masilela