Lights, camera and action

Mariselle Stofberg
Joana Ribeiro



“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the scene of what it is to be a human being.” – Thornton Wilder

For the second time, Windhoek Gymnasium had the privilege to watch both an Afrikaans and an English play in the same evening. The evening started at 6:30pm on the 20 June and ended at around 8:30pm.

The Afrikaans group was first to present. They had been practising since the end of February and their play was about Pyjama Friday. In the play the headmaster and his secretary were caught practising going on a date by two Grade 8s who turned the story into something it was not. Later, everything was sorted and the headmaster went on his real date. We had a chance to interview Estie Scholtz, who made a debut in this play. When asked what her overall experience was, she said, “It was an amazing experience and I would recommend everyone to try it. It taught me to step out of my comfort zone and helped me to become more confident.”

She later added, “We also got to meet and work with the wonderful Nicola Hanekom, a famous actress from South Africa. She gave us incredible advice on how to improve the play.”

After the Afrikaans cast presented their piece, there was a fifteen-minute break where the audience could enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate. After the break and congratulating the Afrikaans group on a job well done, the English play commenced.

The English play was about a group of athletes going to a sports camp for training. However, the original coach cancels last minute. While driving to the camp, they accidently hit Mr Louw, a struggling actor. He hears about the situation and decides to pose as the coach. The team eventually finds out and his cover is blown.

We also had the opportunity to interview William Titus, who acted in both the Afrikaans and English play. When asked how he dealt with acting in both plays he said, “It was a lot of work to remember everything and make sure I don’t drop the other members, but I would definitely do it again.” He also added: “My favourite part was the nervousness turning into excitement before walking out on stage.”