Taking Pacofs to greater heights

Nurturing theatre arts … Peter Mashigo and Tshollo Chokwe are the quirky stars of Woza Albert! which is directed by Wits Lesenyeho.
Wits Lesenyeho is the champion of developing performing arts in the Free State. He is part of the team that is reviving Pacofs to its former glory.

With more than ten theatre productions under his belt, Free State Performing Arts development manager Moiloa Wits Lesenyeho is slowly but surely taking the performing arts industry by storm.

Born and bred in Mafikeng, Wits, as he is affectionately known in the industry, moved to Bloemfontein when he was a boy.

His love for the arts started at a young age. In primary and high school he enjoyed narrating sketches of his favourite actors.

Lesenyeho, working with the new board and management, is at the forefront of the transformation at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (Pacofs) which has been plagued by administrative and production problems in the past. The institution had been a well-established and well-resourced centre until 2006 when it faced claims of R5.6-million maladministration charges.

This saw three senior staff members, chief executive officer Dr. Nathan Bagarette, acting chief financial officer Steven Murison, and human resources manager Johnny Jansen being dismissed in January 2008.
The centre that used to be a champion for arts and culture in the province became a sinking ship. It no longer had a proper artistic budget as funds that were normally used for artistic projects were used to pay for forensic investigations and legal fees.

Woza Albert! is one of the plays for which South African theatre is best known internationally.
Spirit Monyobo was brought in to salvage what was left in mid-2008. He, however, too got suspended from the institution for maladministration after three years and the case is still pending.

Lesenyeho said today, after several years of poor professional production and administration, Pacofs is striving to live up to its good name.
He has received numerous accolades, among them a Premier’s Excellence Award for Arts and Culture.

According to Lesenyeho, he wants to introduce new plays as part of Pacofs’ revival.

“I love the arts; when I am either directing or acting on stage my soul just lights up.”
Lesenyeho has worked on a number of plays such as The Letter and Source of the Bleeding Heart.
“Reatlolelwa is one of my proudest works.”

According to Lesenyeho, a good play is one that truly reflects reality, one that is credible, and that would have people believe in it.

“It should also be staged by actors who are truly committed. Passion and dedication can go very far in this industry.”

Later this year, Lesenyeho will be taking Zakes Mda’s acclaimed We shall sing for our Father Land to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. He co-directed the play with Itumeleng Motsikoe.

In the piece, Mda confronts the disillusionment of soldiers who have fought for the liberation of a fictional African country. After fighting in their country’s war for independence, two soldiers return to civilian life, but have neither homes nor jobs. The play won the first Amstel Playwright of the Year Award in 1978 – a feat it repeated the following year.

It stars Moses Lechuti, Mbuyiselo Nqodi, and Angelo Mockie.

At the same festival, Lesenyeho will also be directing The Suit, written by Can Themba. It is about Philemon, who is middle-class and happy. One day he hears that his wife, Mathilda, is having an affair. He catches her in the act. Mathilda’s lover jumps out of the window, but leaves behind his suit. Philemon dreams up a strange and bizarre punishment that serves as a constant reminder to her of her adultery. A remorseful Mathilda eventually dies of humiliation. Philemon regrets his actions but it is too late.

The play stars Babes Mphatseng, Fana Mokoena, and Tinah Mnumzana.

Lesenyeho is currently focusing his attention on his latest project Woza Albert!, which he is directing.

The play was written by Percy Mthwa, Barney Simon, and Mbongeni Ngema at the height of protest theatre in South Africa.

Woza Albert! is about people under oppression who in their darkest moments are given hope by their faith in God. The two actors play the roles of various black South Africans – a vendor, barber, servant, manual labourer, soldier – receiving the news that Christ (Morena) has arrived in South Africa, where a Calvinist white elite imposes apartheid. Christ’s arrival precipitates a crisis, and the government launches a nuclear bomb against the peacemaker.

Leading theatre revival … Wits Lesenyeho is at the forefront of introducing new productions.
The actors’ parts see them miming, singing, and dancing. They also create images using few words and actions. The play is a 26 scene, quick-action play. Its succession of vignettes of black life during South Africa’s apartheid period shows the absurdity of racial oppression.

Lesenyeho recently invited The Weekly for a sneak preview of the play, which features Peter Mashigo and
Tshollo Chokwe.

“Woza Albert means ‘rise Albert’. It refers to the deceased leader of the ANC and Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Luthuli. It illuminates the logic of a plot in which South Africans seek the return of a saviour, Morena, who fulfils the biblical prophecy that Jesus Christ will return.”

Woza Albert! is one of the plays for which South African theatre is best known internationally. Its physical style of storytelling was to inspire and influence theatre companies around the world and it is a great example of South African theatre in all its vibrancy, innovation, and humanity.

Lesenyeho said people can definitely expect more theatre programmes from Pacofs.

“At one stage, we were one of the top five creative hub institutions in the whole of Africa, so we want to regain that position again. We are busy working on a number of series that will see the Free State arts industry growing. Preparations for the annual Mangaung Cultural Festival are already underway. Last week we held workshops to ensure that the development of emerging artists is of world class.”

Woza Albert! will be staged from February 21 to 25 at the André Huguenot Theatre in Bloemfontein. Tickets cost R50 each.

With so many productions in the pipeline, Pacofs seems to be on the way to recovery.