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CALL FOR ZWAKALA festival 2024/2025

The Market Theatre invites interested community theatre groups to submit applications to take part in its annual Zwakala Festival – Community Theatre Practitioners Incubator Programme for 2024/2025. 

The Zwakala Festival is a mentoring and a showcase platform for community-based theatre practitioners residing in City Of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

The programme’s main aim is to improve the skills of writers, directors and performers. It empowers them to create and produce local content of a high standard and trains the next generation of community arts leaders and cultural entrepreneurs. It also takes them through a journey of both the creative and practical sides of producing a professional theatre piece.

Group leaders, writers and directors receive specialised training and resources to improve the quality of their work and their leadership, ultimately benefiting the entire group.

The Incubation Programme is sponsored by the Department of Sports Arts and Culture. Through this programme the department aims to help emerging practitioners to hone their skills through mentorship and propel them to professional status. The process also puts a strong emphasis on home-grown content to hopefully generate exciting new productions for the theatre-going public.

ELIGIBILITY

  • All members of the group must be South African citizens.
  • Groups are to reside within boundaries of City of Johannesburg Regions (A-G).
  • Group members need to be between 18 to 35 years old.
  • Only full-time theatre practitioners can apply, no students/learners allowed to participate.
  • Groups must secure their own rehearsal venue for site visits and fieldwork. No rehearsal venue will be provided by Market Theatre. Market Theatre Foundation will not cover rehearsal venue hire costs.
  • All groups must adhere to the confirmed site visit schedule, no deviations will be allowed. Failure to adhere will result in disqualification. 
  • Failure to comply with all the requirements, will result in immediate disqualification.

Should you meet the above eligibility criteria, the following needs to be submitted for your application to be evaluated:

  • A duly completed showcase application form. 
  • The total number of group members not to exceed ten (10).
  • Selected group are required to provide minimal props, costume and furniture (where applicable) for the Ko Lapeng Showcase.

IMPORTANT DATES:

When applying, groups must ensure that they are available for showcasing as well as fieldwork. Site visits and fieldwork will be as per the festival schedule that will be shared with accurate dates per production.

Roll-out of the festival for 2024/2025 is as follows:

  • Call for application opens 07 May 2024 and closes 31 May 2024
  • Selection 1:  03 – 07 June 2024
  • Ko Lapeng Showcase: 15 – 16 June 2024
  • Fieldwork: July – September 2024
  • Zwakala Festival: 05 – 06 October 2024
  • Zwakala Winner: Stage Reading:

              – Script Development: 14 October – 09 November 2024
              – Group Rehearsals: Stage Reading: 18 – 21 November 2024
              – Stage Reading: 22 November 2024

  • Zwakala Winner: TBC

              – Rehearsals: 2 weeks pick-up rehearsals (Dates TBC)
              – Season: 2 weeks run (Dates TBC)

HOW TO APPLY:

  • Applications can be submitted online via our website: markettheatre.co.za by Friday, 31 May 2024.

N.B: Correspondence will only be limited to successful groups.

FOR ENQUIRIES:

Festival Coordinator

Email: proposals@markettheatre.co.za

Tel: 011 832 – 1641

REGIONS IN THE CITY OF JOHANNESBURG METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY

apply here