Are you a learner dreaming about a career on stage? Do you get an adrenaline rush when you think of acting – the excitement of being in the spotlight and that quiet moment before your first words capture the attention of an audience?
Then the Dramaweb SA online drama competition is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for! This year, the competition is presented in collaboration with the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) and the Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging (ATKV).
Dramaweb SA was launched in 2020 by drama coach and actress Ira Blanckenberg to provide an opportunity for talented young actors to showcase their skills on stage, despite the cancellation of other drama competitions and eisteddfods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am very excited about Dramaweb SA 2021,” Blanckenberg says. “We want to increase participation this year, with new categories that will promote every aspect of acting. We’re delighted to welcome the KKNK as a partner and aim to create a platform in conjunction with this major Afrikaans festival in which our young actors can get to know each other, share in each other’s creativity, experience the wonder of acting, and hone their skills.
“Last year’s participation was overwhelmingly positive and the learners’ response to the professional and detailed feedback from coaches and other industry experts was inspiring,” she says.
This is a partnership that the KKNK holds dear. “We are in disruptive times and our youth needs an outlet,” says Hugo Theart, Artistic Director of the KKNK. “The arts in all its forms offers an opportunity to escape. It is not only an opportunity for the youth who want to become professionally involved in the performing arts in future, but also an important platform for cultivating a love of literature and the arts.”
Participation is easy, and the cost is minimal – everything takes place online. “Learners can participate from the comfort of their own home, with expert judges standing by to offer advice,” says Theart.
The ATKV shares the KKNK’s enthusiasm about Dramaweb SA. “The arts enriches and inspires people, young and old, promotes creativity and brings communities together,” says Gerrie Lemmer, manager of Language and Culture at the organisation. “Arts and culture are fundamental to personal development and growth. The ATKV proudly supports Dramaweb SA and we believe this project will emphasise the benefits of acting, poetry and writing, and help to build bridges between all South Africans.”
A unique aspect of Dramaweb SA is the fact that participants are not limited to competing in their region only, but can compete against other learners from around the country.
Entries open on Monday 8 March, and cost R150 per item. Participants can enter poems, monologues, prose and even mime. Simply upload a video of your entry by Monday 31 May 2021. Blanckenberg and her husband, actor Waldemar Schultz, are this year’s judges, and the prize money for each category is R1 000 per winner. You can participate in Afrikaans or English; the final round for Afrikaans items is 3 July 2021, and for English items on 4 July 2021. Both rounds are streamed live.
Visit dramawebsa.co.za for the list of categories and more information, or call Daventia Kennedy on
044 203 8600 with enquiries. You can also send an email to info@dramawebsa.co.za or directly to Blanckenberg at ira@dramawebsa.co.za.
The KKNK is supported by ABSA and Media24, with additional support from the Het Jan Marais Nationale Fonds, the Western Cape Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, the Oudtshoorn Municipality, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) and the Jannie Mouton Foundation. The presidential stimulus package (stream 1) administered by the National Arts Council (NAC) on behalf of the national Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) also supports the KKNK in its current activities.