Theatre Think Tank

Speaking on the upcoming Theatre Think Tank, curator Mathabo Tlali says: “If art is a mirror, this conversation turns it toward the audience and asks: What do you see—and what do you wish we’d notice? This is an invitation to those who mould women through their craft to sit, assess and reflect on the sociological and psychological implications of our creative work.”

Mathabo is the founder of Zazi Creative, a production and creative strategy studio. Her work sits at the intersection of performance, audience, corporate and civil society, where she uses storytelling to advocate for a connected and thriving African creative industry. Whether through her travelling podcast You Need Art & Art Needs You, her stage performances, or creative campaigns, she brings people and purpose together through art.

According to Cherae Halley, Head of The Market Theatre Laboratory, the upcoming Theatre Think Tank promises to be a bold examination of whether theatre has succeeded in holding a mirror for women in ways that truly represent them. “It shifts the focus from the theatre practitioner towards the theatre consumer, specifically the female consumer. It asks: How do women see themselves reflected in theatre and popular culture? What is echoed back to them, what is celebrated, loved, erased and embraced?  And as artists, can we match our desire to reflect womanhood with a willingness to embrace the complex impact of our portrayals of it?” Halley explains.

“The Market Lab’s Theatre Think Tanks,” she continues, “serve as an invaluable exploration and reflection on the wealth of knowledge enacted, embodied and performed by practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage field. The specific aim is to gather, organise and ultimately draw on the knowledge of local communities, making this accessible to the greater community.”

If you are engaged in the arts, as a maker and consumer, or are just curious, don’t miss the Her Lens: Provocations from the Female Audience Theatre Think Tank. Join in on the discussion to commemorate Women’s Month within a cultural landscape that celebrates the power of voice and visibility, indulging in beauty, complexity, tension and truth, through Her Lens.