Winners of 2012 Artscape High School Drama Festival announced

"Every single participant deserves an award because the standard of work was professional, of high quality and the high level of discipline and enthusiasm shown was deeply moving," said Butler, television actor and adjudicator of the competition.

Promoting social cohesion

The 2012 High School Drama Festival was initiated and coordinated by Artscape's educational youth development programme that aims to promote social cohesion, good citizenship and empowerment through the arts. The festival is a catalyst for young people to express themselves creatively how they see South Africa and Africa and to engage with each other across cultural barriers, language and geographical areas, to start to build an understanding of the environment they live in.

The benefits of participating in the competition are numerous and on-going. Schools become hubs of sustainable learning as they are given a platform to voice their own creativity, views and concerns to a captive audience while they also get an opportunity to broaden their horizons by experiencing the magic of live theatre, lights, sound and an audience.

The 2012 Artscape High School Drama Festival Competition winners are:

• Best Actor: Thobela Mazele from Khwela Community Based Organisation (Khayelitsha)
  
• Best Actress: Nicholate Ngongoshe from Masibambane Secondary School (Kraaifontein)
  
• Best Supporting Actor: Alex Abrahams from Alexander Sinton High school (Crawford)
  
• Best Supporting Actress: Mia Havenga from Muizenberg High School (Muizenberg)
  
• Best Script: Cynthia Ngcuka from Masibambisane Secondary School (Delft South)
  
• Best Director: Abongile Kroza from Future Line Arts Academy (Khayelitsha)
  
• Best Production: "Abuse is still our enemy" by Masibambane Secondary School (Kraaifontein)
  
• Technically Innovative: "Dilemma" by Muizenberg High School (Muizenberg)
  
• Adjudicators Award: "The championship of dreams" performed by Future Line Arts Academy (Khayelitsha)