One Night with Modjadji

The Kwasha! Theatre Company is a collaborative project between the Market Theatre Laboratory and the Windybrow Arts Centre. The theatre company aims to support the careers of recent performing arts graduates in South Africa.

Each year, emerging theatre-makers are invited to an open audition process through which a small company of exciting young talents are identified. The 2021 company members aim to use this unique opportunity to create relevant work that inspires a change in its audience; while simultaneously soaking up the possibilities for personal growth through their work and process.

By nurturing a safe, welcoming and disciplined environment in which to play, they hope to produce meaningful work as well as invite a network of collaborators into their processes throughout the year.

Never forgetting that people and everyday experiences are the heart of storytelling, Kwasha! the 4th is unafraid of the 4th IR and look forward to embracing influences and enhancing technologies from our ever-changing world. Using new approaches to relevant content, the group aims to open the literal door to new theatregoers, with a focus on engaging Pan-African youths who may not ordinarily find themselves in the theatre.

With the belief that theatre is a powerful medium that can inspire, heal or help us understand and process our realities, Kwasha! is interested in expanding beyond an obvious theatre audience and hope to make work that appeals to, impacts and reaches those on the margins of society.

One Night with Modjadji (ONWM) is an experimental offering following a struggling comedian who has lost her funny bone while trying to deal with the voices in her head. Exploring the obstacles she encounters, the play follows Modjadji (25), who is on a quest to reclaim her power back and to heal herself through comedy and humour, but hurdles and unexpected circumstances keep breaking her down. The thirst to belong and the love of an absent father keeps her driven. Will she reach the goal that she is trying to achieve?

Collectively, Kwasha! the 4th recognize the opportunity to expand their skills, networks and portfolio of projects that they can take into sustainable careers going forward. As a youth-based theatre company they believe that one of the most important impacts they can make is moving a new generation toward a sustainable future.

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