Women in Puppetry soon to be on local stages  

A first-of-its-kind puppet show with a cast of talented female artists from Daveyton and Boksburg will take centre stage in local theatres next month.
The production highlights the perspectives women bring to this art form.
The Women in Puppetry (WIP) Theatre Programme, sponsored by the National Arts Council and presented by the Mdu Group, will show at the Rhoo Hlatshwayo Arts Centre in Daveyton on March 7 (preview show), the Sibikwa Arts Centre on March 14 and 15 and the Dumisani Masilela Theatre in Germiston (date to be confirmed).
Tickets cost R50 for adults and R30 for children and are available on Webtickets and through the Mdu Group and its partner social media pages.
According to Bonginkosi Selby Banda, the artistic director of the Women in Puppetry Theatre Programme, marginalised communities need alternative art forms to innovate and build sustainable careers.
“We are introducing puppetry ekasi, hoping this production inspires future generations into this art form,” said Banda.
The production aims to empower women and youth through puppetry and will run for four months, providing the participants with comprehensive training in various aspects of puppetry, including its history, script development, puppet-making, puppetry manipulation, costume design and prop creation.
Mduduzi Mdlalose, a founder and arts practitioner, said the programme is designed to foster creativity, build confidence and equip participants with valuable skills that can be used in artistic and educational settings.
“The theatrical masterpiece Outcast is a poignant puppetry production that explores the struggles of a community of animals facing a devastating drought. The play delves into themes of environmental sustainability, social hierarchy, power dynamics, empathy and understanding.
“This groundbreaking production celebrates the diverse voices of women in puppetry, a field traditionally underrepresented but now thriving with innovation and ingenuity,” said Mdlalose.
In December, Mdlalose was selected to attend the Pro-vocations: Roots and Wings Conference at the University of the Western Cape’s Iyatsiba Lab under the Centre for Humanities Research.
The Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA) Training Commission, the UNIMA Africa Commission, and UNIMA South Africa partnered to host the event.
The four-day conference featured panel discussions, workshops, and performances. There were showcases by practitioners from Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Togo, Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, SA, Mali, the DRC, Mozambique, Argentina, Brazil, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, Italy, the UK, Ireland and China.
Attendees can expect multidisciplinary performances combining dynamic life-size puppetry, evocative storytelling and captivating visuals, bringing to life themes of resilience, identity and imagination.