Head of the Market Theatre Laboratory, an institution within the Newtown cultural precinct otherwise known simply as The Lab, Cherae Halley,has a simple way of defining what the theatre learning institution is: “It is a space for young theatre makers to upskill and experiment through our three different programmes – through the two year full-time course, which is quite competitive and we can only take 20 students per year, through the Ramolao Makhene Theatre space, which is open for experienced community practitioners to stage their shows and is a 172 seater, and through a Part-Time weekend programme where theatre makers undergo 13 weeks of an intensive theatre learning programme.”
However as from 2024, The Lab, will be open to receiving theatre makers from the arts community, interested in showcasing theatre productions whereby they will get useful feedback from the public that will be in attendance and reflect on what is put on stage. These are comments that are important for a theatre practitioner as such comments assist in fine-tuning the production before one takes it on a professional stage.
“The Dlala Wena: Saturday Showcase programme, which this year will be staged on May 14 and August 17& 18 2024, is in fact a reintroduction of what used to happen at the Lab years gone by. That is where theatre makers from the community would bring their productions on a Saturday, and get feedback from the public. Anyone can give feedback, an ordinary member of the public or an experienced theatre maker. It really does not matter, it’s about supporting one another and building a community of practice” she explained.
In fact the Saturday showcases used to be so popular in those years that on any given weekend, the Market Theatre precinct would be abuzz with activities, including crowds of theatre lovers attending these events. It is that legacy of the Lab, whose origin has three names attached to it and imbedded in its DNA –the late theatre visionary Barney Simon, whose idea it was to found it, legendary actor, director and writer John Kani, who was part of the team that raised the seed funding from the Rockefeller Foundation in the USA, and veteran actress and arts mentor Vanessa Cooke. It was Cooke’s educational input and Mark Fleishman as the first Head of The Lab that gave the institution’s vision a practical expression shaping what the institution is today. It is a successful school that educates many a young theatre practitioner to become shining stars on the country’s theatre scene.
Its founding story is today a story of inspiration and thoughtful vision. The Lab was founded when Barney Simon saw a gap in the education system of the country, particularly when it came to formal education at universities during the Apartheid years, whereby black people were not allowed by law to enroll for drama classes. Yet there was a lot of interest in theatre from the black community, particularly by young and talented people who showed potential. There was therefore a need to create an alternative route to cater for the excluded and offer them quality education in theatre. That route became The Lab, which today is credited for producing some of the most successful names in theatre, such as the late Mncedisi Shabangu, an award-winning actor and director who unfortunately died in his prime and whose footprint is everywhere when it comes to post apartheid theatre history. He made memorable impression on theatre stages and TV productions in the country. Another shining alumnus of The Lab is “Vice” Monageng Motshabi, a multi-award winning writer and director, who is one of the facilitators at The Lab, passing his skills to a new generation of theatre practitioners who like him and other alumni of The Lab, come from a formerly disadvantaged background. Another impactful thespian on the scene is Warren Masemola, who has made a success of a career on both stage and TV.
Tshabangu,and Motshabi, are in fact among other alumni of The Lab, who are past winners of the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist, a much sought after theatre accolade in the country, and is given to young artists younger than 35 years, who demonstrate exceptional talent and promise. Alumni who have also received this award are Billy Langa and Mahlatsi Mokgonyana known as “Theatre Duo”, Prince Lamla and Dumisani Phakathi.
There are many success stories that have come out of The Lab, from established stalwarts such as Warren Masemola (Beyonce’s Black is King), to Sicelo Buthelezi (Skeem Saam), Wonder Ndlovu (Netflix Series ‘Justice served’), Mathews Rantsoma (Scandal), Kgomotso Moshia (The Woman King), Katlego Letsholonyana (Skeem Saam, Netflix series The Brave Ones), Thato Barileng Malebye (Showmax The Wife), Sydney Ndhlovu (Netflix series Soweto Blaze and Netflix Justice Served), Bonko Khoza (Showmax The Wife and Red Ink, Netflix series The Brave Ones Heart of the Hunter, Amazon Prime The drop), Siyambonga Mdubeki (One Magic 1802), Tshepo Matlala (Showmax Youngins Amazon Prime The drop, Mzansi Magic Obstruction), Lebohang Lephatsoana (Showmax Youngins). This is to name but just a few of the shining stars of this leading theatre school in the country and its contribution to theatre and the performing arts development in the country.
“What attracted me to come to The Lab, after teaching for years at Wits (University of the Witwatersrand) in a programme called Drama For Life, is its ethos. The Lab, much like Drama For Life, gives access to people who have experience in theatre and want to further their education in an alternative educational space. These ethos are expressed through the vocabulary used at The Lab. For example, we refer to our teachers as facilitators, and there is an emphasis on an embodied curriculum, without a focus on tests and examinations, but students instead, are given tasks that they must complete for the collective to witness,” explained Halley. Halley joined The Lab as its Head in 2023.
She pointed out that The Lab today has since its origin, been attracting students from the rest of the country, such as besides Gauteng, the mainly rural provinces of Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, and even neighbouring country Lesotho. However some of these students struggle sometimes with the additional costs.
“Even though we try to keep our fees low to enable students to enroll, you find that after paying the R11 750, they struggle with things like accommodation and to pay for meals. And so for me, it is important that we should look to international sponsors for bursaries supplying students with a stipend to assist such students. Going forward therefore, we are looking at that.”
The Lab also contributes to the development of the wider South African society through different ways, a society that faces different social challenges, including giving space and other support systems to two programmes hosted at The Lab. These are ArtsInside Out, organised by a Nonprofit Organisation called Nkosi’s Haven, and The Yes Lets Experimental Festival, a festival organised by alumni of The Lab, Tebogo Malapane and Philangezwi Nxumalo. These are annual theatre programmes in which The Lab besides being the hosting home, lends them other support systems to make sure that they run smoothly.
Theatre Think Tanks
“The Theatre Think Tank installments are funding dependent but has become a space for critical engagement of our sector among performers, theatre-makers, academics and writers at The Lab. They serve as an invaluable exploration and reflection on the wealth of knowledge enacted, embodied and performed by practitioners in the arts and culture field. The specific aim is to gather, organise and ultimately draw on the knowledge of local communities, making this accessible to the greater community. In 2024, these Theatre Think Tanks were curated by Jefferson Tshabalala, Boitumelo Motsoatsoe, Nondumiso Msimanga, Bongile Lecoge-Zulu, by me. and Thandeka Nheke. Each curator selected a topic they felt our community of practice needed to sink their teeth in, from being product forward as artists to succession planning in our cultural institutions,” explained Halley in an interview.
The Lab continues to seek funding to host their Theatre Think Tanks as a means of sharing knowledge in a more accessible manner.
Barney Simon Residency
One of the most critical programmes in an environment where there are few such opportunities in theatre is the Barney Simon Residency, sponsored by the Barney Simon Trust, which sees artists given an opportunity to apply and spend eight weeks at The Lab to work on a new idea or develop a creative project further.
“Any artist who has an idea can apply for this residency and if successful, they get a budget of R90 000 to work and fine tune their idea while they are given a studio as a resource to work. It can be any idea, and the person chosen is not necessarily expected to come up with a complete product at the end of the residency,” explained Halley..
And so what is the future of The Lab in a world that is constantly changing and demands adaptability?
“We are not trying to reinvent the wheel here and so what we are planning to do is to look back into the past and see what programmes worked well that we need to bring back. For example, the Saturday showcases, is one of those ideas. We also want to strengthen the relationship with our alumni. In a way, we already have those relationships as some of them are facilitators here. But we want to strengthen as there are so many who have gone on to do great things out there.”
The Lab, just like other institutions that train and prepare artists for a career in the sector, is aware of the need to give its students just more than skills to create.
“In the second year, we prepare students for the work place by teaching them skills, such as personal brand building. Skills such as presenting, facilitation, lighting design and stage managing are being incorporated as we know that in order for our students to earn a living after the course, they need to be employable in various roles in the creative sector,” she added.