Morongoa Mosetlhi

Maitisong Festival Featured Shows – Lost in a City Called Love

Thursday, 19th April, 8 pm. Tickets: P100 / P50 (students and pensioners) / Block bookings available

Music: Contemporary, Jazz

 

Directed By: Louisa April

 

Composed By: Louisa April

 

Cast: Louisa April, Tafnaz ‘the Acoustic Badboi’ Busani Azare, and Ontlhomame “ECL” Motlaleng

 

Languages: English

 

Age Restriction: 16+

 

Running Time: 60 minutes

 

Lost in a city Called Love is a musical Journey curated by Louisa April. It focuses on the theme of love in all its aspects: falling in love, betrayal, heartbreak, forgiveness, finding hope, trusting again and simply learning to love. We will spend an hour unraveling our feelings and placing them into song.

 

Louisa together with her team, Tafnaz ‘The Acoustic Badboi’ on guitar and vocals, as well as Otlhomame ‘ECL’ Motlaleng on the Keys. It is definitely not an event to miss.

Maitisong Festival Featured Shows – A Day Before Execution: I’m Sorry Mr President

 

Sunday, 15th April, 4pm

 

Theatre: Drama

 

Written By:  Neelo Lentebanye

 

Directed By: Sono Abram

 

Cast: ???

 

Languages: English and Setswana

 

Age Restriction: 18+

 

Running Time: 50 minutes

 

Company: Mandy Promotions

 

The most realistic play I’ve ever watched. At some point, it felt like the directors had unstable, death row inmates posing as actors to narrate their heinous, real-life crimes. Ironically, amidst such horrors, it was funny too!

~ Thalefang Charles

 

This theatre production is a captivating, narrative monologue of four convicted prisoners with 24 hours from facing the hangman. Their raw, uncensored stories and vivid explanations, paint horrific images of how they carried out acts of murder in cold blood as a result of revenge, anger, and frustration.

Maitisong Festival Featured Shows – Currency

Friday, 13th April, Tickets: P100 (P50 for students and pensioners)

Written By: Lionel Nkosi

 

Directed By: Lionel Nkosi

 

Cast: Kwenze Poelo Mnguni and Thembani Mpapho,

 

Languages: English

 

Age Restriction: All

 

Running Time: 80 minutes (1hr 20 minutes)

 

Company: Empowered Directors

 

The play is a unique piece featuring two award-winning actors from Botswana. It’s a story of betrayal, love, greed and the power that comes with money. The play reveals what separates the rich and the poor. Based on real-life issues we face daily, the play is provocative and educational for all.

 

Tickets: P100 (P50 for students and pensioners)

 

Facebook: Lionel Nkosi, Kwenze Mnguni and Thembeni Mpapo

Maitisong Festival Featured Shows – The Last Night

 

Theatre: Drama

 

Written By: Nikita Mokgware & Ethel Moletsane

 

Directed By: Tefo Paya

 

Cast: Nikita Mokgware & Ethel Moletsane

 

Languages: English & Setswana

 

Age Restriction: 13+

 

Running Time: 45 minutes

 

Family can be the net that catches you when you fall. It can also be the angler’s trap that keeps you in. Monewa is caught in a life of abuse and struggle and she is running out of ways to escape it. This is a story of a mother and a daughter, one is trying to flee, the other is begging her not to.

Maitisong Festival Featured Shows – A:tiste Ah’syl’ahm Anthologies (AAA) Volume 1

Sunday 15th April, 7pm

Music: Hip Hop, Soul, Blues, and Funk

 

Directed By: Ontlhomame Motlaleng and Amantle “Juz Beatz” Gababotse

 

Written By: Mandisa Mabuthoe and Ngonidzashe Tapiwa

 

Composed By: Ontlhomame Motlaleng and Juz Beatz

 

Cast: Mandisa Mabuthoe, Ngonidzashe Tapiwa, Ontlhomame “Shoe” Motlaleng, and Amantle “Juz Beatz” Gababotse

 

Languages: English

 

Age Restriction: All

 

Running Time: 90 minutes (1 hr 30 minutes)

 

Company: A:tiste Ah’syl’ahm

 

The artist’s mind is a volatile, enchanting space. It creates grand beauties, weaving untold stories into soulful melodies. Every note floats, nesting on a mass of eardrums in search of open hearts to touch. The artist’s language remains unspoken yet always understood. It is a raw yet polished gift made by living, loving, and dying.  

~ The Ah’syl’ahm

 

A:tiste Ah’syl’ahm (pronounced Artist Asylum) Anthologies (AAA) is a showcase of local talent in Botswana. Each session highlights the works of the featured artist, in collaboration with their peers.

 

AAA volume one features The Nex’Tones, a band led by Ngonidzashe “Upmost (aka myBruthazkeepa)” Tapiwa and Mandisa “Josiah King” Mabuthoe, accompanied by their producer, Amantle “Juz Beatz” Gababotse, and Onthomame “Shoe” Motlaleng. The band created a signature sound, HipSoul, influenced by Soul, RnB, Reggae, Gospel, Hip Hop, and Jazz.

Maitisong Festival Featured Shows – Moratiwa: An African Tragedy Musical

 

Friday, 13th April, 8pm and Saturday, 14th April, 11am. Tickets: P150 / P75 (students / pensioners) / Block bookings available

 

Produced & Directed By: Socca Moruakgomo

 

Languages: Setswana & English

 

Age Restriction: All

 

Running Time: 120 minutes (2 hours)

 

In the early 1980s, residents of Xamshiko, Botswana met with their leaders and police officials at the Kgotla (Setswana word for court) to discuss the case of Gaone, a missing girl whose case was dismissed after her files disappeared. The case was of great concern to the residents because, allegedly, top officials in the village were responsible for a recent upsurge in ritualistic killings in the area.

 

Students of Xamshiko began to strike, joined by college and university students in Gaborone. At the invitation of the Botswana Government, Scotland Yard carried out investigations. Sadly, to this day, the public is unaware of the results of the investigations, despite promises from the Government to publish them. This lack of information leaves a hole in the heart of Botswana.

 

Through narration and song, this story brings Gaone’s tragic death and the practice of ritualistic killing to light. Performed by a cast of twenty-six members comprised of singers, dancers, and actors. A nine-piece band accompanies the cast to complete the ensemble.

Day of Absence Director – Diamond Mokoape

 

The talented Diamond spent her high school years at East Rand School of the Arts, in Benoni and then moved to Tshwane University of Technology in pursuit of her tertiary education in dram. She graduated in 2008. She specialised in teaching practice and Educational theatre.

 

She was employed as a field worker at the South African State Theatre under the Development Department where she taught and trained community arts groups in Pretoria for four years. During this time, she sharpened her directing skills directing plays in the Mzansi Fela Festival.

 

In 2011 she directed the play “This Is for Keeps” which received great reviews and became her breakthrough in the directing scene.

 

In 2012 she directed Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s “The Black Hermit” which also had a successful three week run at the State Theatre.

 

In 2013 she directed a dramatic poetry production “He Said She said” during the State Theatre’s Vavasati International Women’s festival.

 

Her two productions “This is for keeps” and “He said, She said” have featured in a number of Festivals including The National Arts Festival, The Vavasati Women’s Festival at the State Theatre and Olive Tree Women in Theatre Festival and the Windybrow Human Rights Festival.

 

Her decision to return for her B-Tech in 2017, specializing in Directing and Educational Theatre, was inspired by her desire for growth and her production Day of Absence, staged at the State Theatre 2017 Youth Expressions Festival, proves that she is destined for even more.

Day of Absence Actors – Kabo Timela

 

Kabo Timela is a versatile and talented actor, voiceover artist, writer, aspiring director, and poet. He was born in Botswana on the 7th August 1990. His artistic journey began in 2009 when he attended acting classes at Helen Ogrady in Gaborone Botswana. The hunger to pursue the craft lead him to move to South Africa in 2011 where he attended an art academy named Monnyth Art House.      

 

In 2011 he performed at the Stop Crime Theatre festival in Limpopo. In a play titled ‘Next Sunday’ that took part in the Zwakala Festival in Johannesburg. It went on to feature at the South African State Theatre in 2014. He has had other appearances at the State Theatre such as Children Theatre productions Kweku Ananse in 2013 to 2015 as well as Elephants Dream in 2017.

 

He also performed Kwaku Ananse at the Pacofs Theatre in Bloemfontein(2017)

 

In 2012 he began his studies at Tswane University in the Drama and Film department where he partook in various stage plays and films.  

Day of Absence Actors – Mphoentle Ngoepe

 

Mphoentle Ngoepe is a young and vibrant actress from Ga-habedi, a rural area in the North West. She was introduced to the stage in 2014 at Tshwane University of Technology, ever since then; she never looked back and currently completed her B-Tech in the institution. Her Theatre credits includes; “THE CROSSING” by Mncedisi Baldwin Shabangu (showcased at Grahamstown), “WAITING FOR GODOT” by Mariska Denysschen, “KING LEAR (Adaptation)” by Calvin Seretle Ratladi (Best Ensemble and Production at TUT), and recently committed herself in the play, “DAY OF ABSENCE” directed by Diamond Mokoape. She received an award for Best Supporting Actress in a lecturer’s production (2015).

Day of Absence Actors – Katlego Chale

 

Katlego Chale is a South African artist. Currently, Katlego is a teaching assistant at the Tshwane University of Technology in the Drama Department. He is currently carrying out a Master’s Degree focusing on devising collaborative theatre as a dramaturge. Katlego completed his National Diploma qualification in 2012, with several distinctions; and continued to complete his BTECH qualification CUM LAUDE in 2013 at the University. His specialization subjects have included Acting Techniques, Scriptwriting, Physical Theatre, Arts Administration and Research Methodology. He currently assists with teaching speech sounds and movement in which he specializes in teaching the fundamentals of different world accents and unarmed stage combat.

 

He is a well-accomplished actor, voice artist, and screenwriter.

 

The journey is still young for this 26-year-old freelance artist. His ambition is to unlock himself to the boundless possibilities of entrepreneurship within the arts sector. As such, he was part of a company, named En-Action Productions, from August 2014 to January 2017. This production company focused on performances rooted in Education, Entertainment, and Communication. Katlego was the Director in charge of Communication, Logistics, and Human Resources because of his competent skills in the understanding of the theoretical side of running the business. Katlego was one of the Head Scriptwriters for En-Action Productions but also plied his trade as an Actor, Dramaturge, and a Events Organizer.