PENNY stage piece at Olive Tree Theatre in Alexandra Township

Written and directed by young seasoned griotess, Momo Matsunyane, PENNY is an expression that reconnoiters some of the untold encounters actors and artists in general, especially black talents, have to face in what Matsunyane terms ‘fickle business’ of show and the repercussions of ‘mixing business with pleasure’. Before PENNY TSHIPI, played by Zethu Dlomo, blisteringly walks on stage, audience are treated to the soulful melodies of Nina Simone reverberating words “Babe don’t let me be misunderstood…” and from the word go, lines from Simone’s song reminds you not to misunderstand the piece. The play is produced by Matjamela Motloung from Ruban Noir Productions, another vocal black consciousness fellow. 

Penny Tshipi, performed by Zethu Dlomo. Images Courtesy of Olive Tree Theatre. Photographer: Fikile Snymes

 

Easily identified with black consciousness from her production, Momo Matsunyane breathes Steve Bantu Biko’s ideology and pride of blackness into life. Audience are reminded by what Biko stood for and what he hoped for a black child; prosperity, excellence and nothing other than humility in a black child’s greatness. “In order to achieve real action you must yourself be a living part of Africa and her thought; you must be an element of that popular energy which is entirely called fourth for the freeing, the progress and the happiness of Africa. There is no place outside that fight for the artist or for the intellectual who is not himself concerned with, and completely at one with the people in the great battle of Africa and of suffering humanity,” punctuated Biko in one of his Frank Talks titled ‘We Blacks’. PENNY is a living DNA of what Biko envisaged of a black child, to fight against the system that doesn’t cater to a black man and disrupt the exploitative chain crafted by the white liberals towards black people.

Talking from behind big picture frame, putting her image well in the format, Zethu Dlomo invites her audience in, coaxing them into jokes made from real life stories of ordinary actors in South Africa. Dlomo is a natural and consummate performer with a dynamic vocal range and emotional cognizance that could induce the delusion of intimate contact in even the most impersonal auditorium. She reminds her audience sternly that, “I am an actor, not an actress”. Her argument is that the word ‘actress’ was designed to belittle the talent and skill of a female actor and she cannot be associated with such belittlement. “I love acting as much as Jews love money,” chuckled, Dlomo.

Penny Tshipi, performed by Zethu Dlomo. Images Courtesy of Olive Tree Theatre. Photographer: Fikile Snymes

We realise as the play unfolds, that PENNY TSHIPI is a young woman incarnating three lives, that of a waitress in a restaurant during the day, of a student of drama and on-call actor when not at work. She obviously struggles jogging and juggling them all. The transport costs and apartment rental exterminates her. At one stage we see her in a taxi, clearly bringing to light realities of a public transport designed for the poor populace in the country. She hops in and out of a taxi - either going to the restaurant to call out order numbers with surge of fatigue behind the counter or sweating all the way to the auditions as a result of having waited for a taxi too long. In the experiences of her relationship with agents, as beautifully and awe-inspiringly narrated, we see exploitation on the run from the industry that makes actors look all good and moneyed only to realise that agents take away a large piece of a pie home, leaving behind a small piece, further to be taxed 25% by SARS before actor get their remuneration. 

Momo Matsunyane, once again questions the mediocrity in the name of talent many people complain about on our screens. As vocal and direct as she is known to be, she shares personal experiences as a young theatre practitioner.  We see PENNY on a phone call, seemingly talking to her agent who says “Gogga, I have got a great deal for you and managed to negotiate a nice deal out of it. This will give you exposure you know.” A layman listening to this conversation asks himself how much the agent takes home since well exposure doesn’t pay bills. Especially because one moment when PENNY arrived home she picked up the white envelope inscribed “Ain’t nothing but a rent”. She started freaking about rent and lack of a financial freedom. Her struggle is shared by many young people who commute to work every day, to do what they don’t love because they have to make a living.  For PENNY, piece of her soul died every time she commuted to work.

Penny Tshipi, performed by Zethu Dlomo. Images Courtesy of Olive Tree Theatre. Photographer: Fikile Snymes

As the play breezes to its end, we are taken into the closed doors of theatre and film directors. PENNY met with one of the top directors in the country. She enters the room, dressed in her unwavering confidence, striking temperament and her consciousness make-up informs us that only her talent and charisma will get her the deal and nothing else. The director suddenly decided to mix business with pleasure to which PENNY aggressively protested against. She stubbed him in self-defense and this turned out into PENNY being charged with attempted murder. “Director raped me,” confessed PENNY. It is well known that ‘if you don’t listen to the directors demands then you will be edited off the script’. PENNY ended up in prison for defending herself. Her mother visited her and went rampant with how she disappointed the family whereas on the other hand the director visited her to inform her of dropping charges against PENNY for an offer he got in Canada. 

PENNY is a stage piece fused with contemporaneity of Steve Biko’s believes for the independent black nation. It reminds us in Biko’s words that ‘God is not in the habit to come down from heaven to solve people’s problems on earth.’ We have to be part of the solutions to our problems and PENNY is way ahead of us in that journey.  

Olive Tree Theatre, a community based theatre development, aimed at bridging a gap between the mainstream theatre and alternative spaces located in Alexandra Township and focuses on developing and uplifting women and the youth around the area. The OTT is hosting its 5^th International Women’s Theatre Festival 2016 under the artistic directorship of Ntshieng Mokgoro, the 2008/9 Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for Theatre. Mokgoro is the founder and creative director of Olive Tree Theatre. All the productions in this festival are written, directed and performed by women from across the SADC region.This included workshops and panel discussions spearheaded by women.

The festival officially opened on the 4^th November and will conclude on the 13^th November 2016. 

Khehla Chepape Makgato is a Johannesburg-based independent artist and arts writer, regularly contributing articles to ART AFRICA and The Journalist. He works at Assemblage Studios and is the founder of Samanthole Creative Projects & Workshop, a community-based art organisation focusing on arts and literacy youth programmes. Chepape is the ImpACT Award WINNER for Visual Arts 2016 from the Arts and Culture Trust of South Africa.