Gauteng, KZN actors receive Brett Goldin bursaries
The Handspring Puppet Company has expressed their delight at Woyzeck actor Nkosinathi Gaar receiving the Brett Goldin Bursary Award for 2012. The memory of the young actor Brett Goldin, who was murdered in 2006, was once again honoured when Nkosinathi Gaar (26) from Johannesburg and Timothy Redpath (28) from KwaZulu-Natal became the latest recipients of the bursary awards for 2012.
Nkosinathi graduated from UCT with honours in theatre-making in 2007. He performed most recently in Handspring Puppet Company's Woyzeck on the Highveld European tour, taking over from Basil Jones as The Captain and when Busi Zokufa was ill in hospital on the UK tour that ended in November, he learnt and rehearsed her role in two days and twice played both The Captain and Maria in the same show.
The best out of 60 applications countrywide
Nkosinathi has also performed in the Magnet Theatre's "Voices Made Night", Janni Younge's "Dolos", and his one-man show "H.O.T.T." in Cape Town and Johannesburg. He has directed two original works professionally, "Ouma/A Little Red" for the Festival of Fame and "Her Honey like Lips" at the Out the Box Festival at the Baxter Theatre Centre. Nkosinathi was a cast member in the Baxter and Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "The Tempest", directed by Janice Honeyman in 2009.
The two actors were chosen from four finalists and a shortlist of 17 (out of nearly 60 applications received countrywide) who took part in the three-day audition process at the Baxter Theatre Centre. The other two finalists were Adrian Collins and Chiedza Mhende.
The bursary is a short postgraduate course designed to enhance and fine-tune actors who are committed to the need and desire to expand their knowledge and acting ability of Shakespeare. Furthermore, their willingness to use the skills gained to enthuse and, on their return, to encourage others towards a love and understanding of Shakespeare is essential.
