JOHANNESBURG - Two popular South African actors will later this month tour Zimbabwe as part of a workshop organised by a renowned film producer and director from the neighbouring country. Stephen Visser told The Zimbabwean this week that he would be in Zimbabwe from February 21 and 23, running a workshop for local actors with Presley Chweneyagae and renowned South African actor Macks Senatla sa ga Papo Some.
The 26-year-old Chweneyagae is best known for his starring role in the 2005 hit film Tsotsi, voted the best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards, while his counterpart, popularly known here as Macks Papo, starred as Tsheko Mashabela in the M-Net soap, Egoli and currently plays Ivan Tshinawa in E-TVs musical soap, Rhythm City.
Papo also acted in award-winning plays like No Good Friday, Survival, Bear in Zermatt, Switzerland and Kwamanzi at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland for the entire British Royal Family in 1992, playing Moleka in Bessie Head’s Maru for PACT at the Windybrow Theatre, from 1993 to 1995.
What motivated me to run this workshop is that I mentored some guys from Zimbabwe and realised the potential they have of making it big in this industry, but acting is not taken as a profession there, said Visser. Also going on the tour is Zimbabwean Melgin Tafirenyika, a developing actor and model in South Africa. Sphiwe Sibiya, another Zimbabwean, is Vissers public relations officer.
I want this upcoming artist (Tafirenyika) to realise that acting is a profession and star in the big film next to the likes of Chweneyagae and Papo, who will be accompanying me throughout the workshop, added Visser. We will also be giving each of the best female and male artists from the workshops an opportunity to come in South Africa for two weeks, during which they will be mentored by the best and be signed by RAP casting agency for free.
Besides acting, producing and directing films and stage plays, Visser also runs RAP Casting – a casting agency for TV and Theatre production and supplies artistes, from extras to lead characters for TV, print commercials, films and catalogues. The agency has more than 500 artistes in their books and is always looking for fresh faces of all types and ages.
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