Non current staff
Siphenathi Mayekiso
Siphenathi Mayekiso (EPWP Intern) grew up in Philippi, Cape Town. He matriculated in 2009 from Athlone School for the Blind and two years later he joined the Magnet Theatre training programme. After graduating in 2013 he joined the Garage Dance Company in Okiep for intense workshops under the tutelage of Alfred Hinkel. As a freelancer he did some puppetry work for UNIMA South Africa, facilitated workshops for the Magnet Theatre Culture Gangs Project, stage managed various productions and performed in a short film, Nommer 27 that scooped two awards in the Kyknet Silver Screen by Gambit Films. He has performed in theatre works such as Dark Cell (2015) by Themba Mbuli and s Marat/Sade (2017) by Jaco Bouwer.
Qondiswa James
Qondiswa James is a Black, Queer, Femme from the rural Transkei. She is a theatre-maker, performance artist, film and theatre performer, writer and liberation activist.She has directed theatre works including 'Emhlab'Obomvu' (NAF 2016), Silindile (UCT New Voices 2017) and 'A Faint Patch of Light' (TAAC Emerging Director's Bursery 2018). Her onscreen appearances include the 'The Foxy Five' (Shnitt), 'Umva' (MOMA New York), Into Us and Ours (Cannes) and 'High Fantasy' (DIFF 2018 Best South African Film Award, Artistic Bravery Award).In September she curated and performed in 'Zabebaleka Iimbhumbhulu' as part of the Institute of Creative Arts' Live Arts Festival 2018. She is currently an EPWP at Magnet Theatre.
Sydwell Klaas
My name is Sydwell Klass, Passionate about Theatre, Charismatic and no Stranger to the Art Industry. A Puppeteer and Director, and Member of Art of Hearts. Sydwell is employed as an EPWP technical intern in 2018.
Vuyokazi Ngemntu
Vuyokazi Ngemntu, An alchemist of word, conjure of song and miner o stories, my aim is to create work that blurs the line between the physical and the esoteric reahms. Indigenous knowledge system is a fascination which I explore with the hopes of making Art that inspires and heals the collective (African) psyche. She was a trainee and EPWP with Magnet Theatre 2017.
Rozanne Holland
Rozanne Holland was a Trainee Administrator Facilitator in the Cederberg Municipality for the Community Arts Project that Magnet Theatre runs in that area. She has worked for Magnet Theatre on the N7 schools project for 3 years. She is 23 years old and started working with Comnet (a local drama group established in Clanwilliam as a result of Magnet Theatre's presence in the area) at the age of 8. She has taken part in the annual September Clanwilliam Arts project of Magnet Theatre in collaboration with UCT for 15 years. She has also been a trainee at Magnet Theatre in 2012. She currently works as an ad hoc facilitator on the Farm School Project and Redlinghuys.
Honey Mene
Honey Mene was an Expanded Public Work Programme intern at the Magnet Theatre in the role as technical assistant. He attended Crossroad High School in Nyanga and in 2010 he joined iThemba labantu Centre in Philippi where he participated in the Magnet Theatre Culture Gangs programme and performed in the following plays: Umlomo Uyadala, Ingxaki Ezingxengwe Ngothando and Eyomsintsi. In 2014 he joined the organization called UKAO and performed in Blood Stain directed by Bulelani Mabutyana, and Push me pull u directed by Bulelani Mabutyane.
Maggi Fernando
Maggi Fernando graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2014 with a Diploma in Theatre and Performance, majored in Theatre Making. She wrote,directed and performed 'Happy Birthday to me' for her final performance. She is also a graduate from Magnet Theatre full time training programme 2010‐2011. During her training at Magnet Theatre she performed in 'Children and the Bees' directed by Mark Fleishman,'Amanazo'thando' directed by Mandla Mbothwe and redirected by Faniswa Yisa and 'Subliminal' by Lean Hershler. She was an Expanded Public Work Project intern at Magnet Theatre 2015-2016.She recently wrote and directed '(un)locked?' performed at the Obz Family Festival 2016. Currently she is a fieldworker for Magnet Theatre's Culture Gangs. Her passion is working with children and is very involved with her community. Maggi is a Culture Gangs Facilitator in Mannenberg, Overcome Heights, Capricorn Park and Retreat.
Natasha Gana 3rd year
Natasha Gana is a 28 years old actress from Cape Town from Nyanga East. She finished her matric in 2009 and went to New Africa Theatre Academy for 2 years and then came to Magnet Theatre as a trainee. While she was at New Africa, she performed around Cape Town with Thabo Mbeki and Other Nightmares and Bashed or be Bashed and has performed at the Zabalaza as a guest performer with Thabo Mbeki and other Nightmares. While at Magnet Theatre she has done various plays including UKHANYO by Thando Doni and THE CITY OF PARADISE by Mark Fleishman , was a third year trainee creating Paired and KUDU with Lwanda Sindaphi and 23 years, a month and seven days with Nwabisa Plaatjie. She is now an EPWP with Magnet Theatre.
Nolan Africa
After completing a Drama degree from the University of Cape Town, Nolan Africa (Cederberg Municipality Fieldworker) dabbled in theatre and television briefly before joining the Educational theatre world. First he taught drama at an arts and culture focus school. He then joined Artscape, first as a road show performer and facilitator for SoundTrack4Life. Later he directed and co-facilitated Dance for Life. He then joined the office staff in co-coordinating various education theatre projects. More recently he worked with Zakheni on school projects alongside a Drama Therapist which sparked an interest. In 2013, he completed an Honours degree in Drama Therapy through Drama for Life at the University of Witwatersrand.
Archived staff members
Nolufefe Ntshuntshe
Nolufefe Ntshuntshe (Early Years Company) is a third year Theatre and performance student majoring in Theatre Making. She finished high school in 2004, and has been involved in a number of community theatre projects co-writing and directing theatre productions for her community theatre group Future Line Arts Academy. She has also performed at the Baxter Theatre participating in the Ikhwezi Festival (now known as the Zabalaza Festival). Prior to her coming to study at UCT she was a trainee at the Magnet Theatre for two years, where she worked with Mark Fleishman on the production The Children and the Bees and Mandla Mbothwe on Inxeba Lomphilisi, a play which went to the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2010. She has also done a number of projects directing and facilitating theatre pieces for and with the Mothertongue Project where she is also an intern and board member.
Luvo Tamba
Luvo Tamba (Early Years Company) is a professional performance artist who was trained at Magnet Theatre from 2008-2010 and has since performed in a multitude of productions that have travelled within South Africa and Europe. Some of his earliest works include his debut at the Infecting the City Festival in Mandla Mbothwe's 'Ingcwaba lendoda lise cankwe ndlela', and performances at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival and Baxter Theatre Centre in 'Inxeba Lomphilisi' directed by Mandla Mbothwe and Faniswa Yisa. In 2011 he joined the Isango Ensemble and performed in an adaptation of Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' which toured to Italy, Germany, Russia and the Shakespeare Festival in London. His first encounter with theatre for young audiences was in the Isango Ensemble's 'Aesop's Fables' (performed at the Hackney Empire Theatre in London) which inspired his interest to create further work in this genre.
Babalwa Makwetu
Babalwa Makwetu (Early Years Company) is an actress and a musician. She is a vocalist in the collective Lingua Franca and a member of Future Line Arts Academy. In 2012 she became a trainee at Magnet Theatre, training as a physical theatre practitioner and more. After completing her training at Magnet, she performed in 'The Playroom' (2013 Zwakala festival winner) directed by Thandolwethu Mzembe, 'They Died Singing' and 'Umendo' directed by Thando Doni, 'Izithyilelo Zobuze' directed by Mbogeni Nomkhomwanwa & Lwanda Sindaphi, and most recently at the Infecting the City Festival in 'Mari and Kana' directed by Mandisi Sindo. During her career as an actress and vocalist, Babalwa has travelled to many different provinces and performed in a vast range of works.
Jason Jacobs
Jason Jacobs (Early Years Company) is a graduate theatre maker from UCT who has produced a range of work that contributed to his success, which includes stage management for Aja Marneweck's 'Plot 99: The 21st Century Prophecy Show'(2011) and Sandra Temmingh's 'Mirakel'(2013). He also performed alongside Sjaka September in 'Ouma' at both Out the Box Festival and KKNK in 2013. He was co-designer for 'Uhm' and also portrayed the role of Sol Plaatje. 'Uhm' received best writing at the National Arts School Festival and was nominated for a Fleur du Cap for best new director. His recent production was an Afrikaans physical theatre piece titled 'Kalahari Swan' inspired by Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Jacobs wrote, directed and performed in this production. Jacobs is very passionate about community development in the West Coast and Northern Cape. He recently founded KleiSand, a youth theatre arts movement based in Cape Town, with the hopes of reaching out to these communities.
Koleka Putuma
Koleka Putuma (Early Years Company) is a Performance Poet, Facilitator and Theatre Practitioner who graduated with a BA in Theatre & Performance at UCT. Her work has travelled to Scotland, New York and around South Africa. She has been featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC focus on Africa, Badilisha Poetry X-Change and TedX Cape Town Women. In 2014 she was nominated and voted to represent the Western Cape at the Slam For Your Life competition at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, where she was crowned South Africa's First National Slam Champion. During her time at UCT she directed An Endless Echo (2013), For God's Sake (2014), an adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie's 'Miracle', Mbuzeni (2014) and UHM (2014) which was awarded Best Student Writing at the NAF Student Festival in Grahamstown and showcased at the Artscape Theatre in December 2014. She has been nominated for the Rosalie van der Gucht Prize for New Directors at the 2015 Fleur Du Cap Theatre Awards. She has headlined at SliPnet's Inzync Poetry Sessions, Word N Sound Poetry and Live Music Series and at Off The Wall. She is a resident poet of the collective Lingua Franca and Co-Founder of newly formed theatre companies Velvet Spine and The Papercut Collective
Sivuyile Dunjwa
Sivuyile Dunjwa (EPWP Intern) hails from Khayelithsa and has been involved in drama from a young age. He won the Best Actor awards in 2007 and 2008 at the Artscape High School Drama Festival. He graduated from New Africa Theatre Academy in 2010 and Magnet Theatre in 2013. He has acted in Iphi Izombi directed by Robin Denault, Eleven forty-one directed by Clare Stopford, Thabo Mbeki and Other Nightmares directed by Tshepo Wamamatu and Blood Stain directed by Bulelani Mabutyana. As a trainee in the Magnet Theatre Fulltime Training and Job Creation programme he performed in running with goldfish and gift wrapping the sea, Heart Of Redness directed by Mark Fleishman and Tree/Boom/Umthi directed by Jennie Reznek.
Siphenathi Mayekiso (EPWP Intern) grew up in Philippi, Cape Town. He matriculated in 2009 from Athlone School for the Blind and two years later he joined the Magnet Theatre training programme. After graduating in 2013 he joined the Garage Dance Company in Okiep for intense workshops under the tutelage of Alfred Hinkel. As a freelancer he did some puppetry work for UNIMA South Africa, facilitated workshops for the Magnet Theatre Culture Gangs Project, stage managed various productions and performed in a short film, Nommer 27,that scooped two awards in the Kyknet Silver Screen by Gambit Films.
Anelisa Dlaku
Anelisa Dlaku (Intern) is 23 years old and lives in Delft South. She was a member of the Rainbow Arts Organisation, and a Magnet Theatre trainee in 2012/13. She had a baby in 2012 and started to split her training between office duties and performance skills classes. She is now doing a Management Assistant short course at the College of Cape Town.
Zwelakhe Khuse
Zwelakhe Khuse (Culture Gangs Fieldworker) from Khayelitsha graduated from University of Cape Town Drama School in 2009. His career in drama started while in high school as a member of the Iselwa Lisizwe Theatre group. He was introduced to Magnet theatre through the Community Groups Intervention (CGI) workshops facilitated by Mandla Mbotwe. In the CGI he performed in the plays "The Tears of our Ancestors" and "3 Rats" (2007 and 2008) and Isivuno Samaphupho. At UCT he acted in the Shakespeare play "Love Labours Lost", (Studio, 2011) and directed an untitled movement piece. He has also worked as director in the Magnet Theatre Educational and Job Creation program directing the plays Forgotten Citizens in 2012 and Waiting in 2013. Zwelakhe has worked for Magnet Theatre from 2012 till now as the facilitator in the community groups in a project Culture Gangs.
Thando Doni
Thando Doni (Training Assistant), multi-talented theatre-maker, learned his craft at the Media and Arts Access Centre (AMAC) and with Magnet Theatre. He has performed extensively with Magnet Theatre, including with The Grave, Trojan Horse Story, Looking Inside (commissioned by the Human Rights Media Centre), national tours of Inxeba lomphilisi and Ingcwaba lendoda lise cankwe ndlela; in Nicola Elliott's Proximity, Loss and Having; and at the Bushfire Festival in Swaziland. Doni has also worked with the Actors Voice Theatre Company, Masibambisane Youth Theatre Organisation, Emlanjeni Theatre Productions, and the Manyanani Entertainers. The Capetonian is a resident actor at Bonfire Theatre Company. Nominated as Best Director at the Baxter's Zabalaza Theatre Festival in 2011, Doni won Best Director in 2011 for Mhla Salamana and GIPCA director's bursary winner in 2012. Most recently he has directed the play Passage and is a training facilitator in the Magnet Theatre Training and Job creation program.
Margie Pankhurst
Margie Pankhurst (Administrator) graduated from UCT with a Performer's Diploma in 1983. She worked as an actress both in Cape Town and Johnannesburg, also as an Actor's Agent and she owned her own Casting Director's business for nine years. Margie worked for Artscape between 2005 and 2009, when she joined Magnet Theatre.