10 May 2010 Josette Eales and Thato Moraka, both from Johannesburg, are the 2010 Brett Goldin Bursary award winners.

Four years after the brutal murder of Brett Goldin, his memory was once again honoured when Josette Eales (26) and Thato Moraka (25) were announced the latest winners of the Brett Goldin Bursary for 2010, at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg.

The bursary was set up immediately after the young actor and his friend, fashion designer Richard Bloom, both 28, were brutally murdered over the Easter weekend on April 16, four years ago, just days before he was due to leave for Stratford-upon-Avon. Goldin was due to perform the role of Guildenstern in the Baxter’s production of Hamlet, directed by Janet Suzman, which launched the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival. The double murder sent shockwaves throughout South Africa and England.

The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Actors Centre and the Baxter Theatre Centre established the bursary, which was kick-started by donations from respected South African-born actors Sir Antony Sher and Honorary RSC Associate Janet Suzman, to give other young actors the opportunity which Brett was denied, and to honour his memory in an appropriate manner.

Eales and Moraka were chosen from seven finalists and a shortlist of 17 actors (out of nearly 80 applicants countrywide) who took part in the two-day audition process at the Market Theatre. Of the ten female and seven male actors short-listed, seven of the actors are from Johannesburg, six from Cape Town, and one each from Durban, Pretoria, Grahamstown and Port St Johns.

Ameera Patel, Ashleigh Harvey, Thato Moraka, Kaz McFadden, Josette Eales, Jessica Richards and Jannes Eiselen are all from Johannesburg, while Tauriq Jenkins, Sarah Hill, Anele Situlweni, Slumko Ndyalivane, Kate Liquorish and Roxanne Blaise are from Cape Town. Estelle Kriek is from Pretoria, Kim Sanssoucie from Durban, Vuks Ngcingwana from Port St Johns and Mary Leinberger from Grahamstown.

Theatre luminaries Dorothy ann Gould, who helped to establish the bursary and has been involved since its inception, James Ngcobo and David Dennis make up this year’s panel of judges. Denise Goldin, mother of the slain actor, Malcolm Purkey, Artistic Director of the Market Theatre and Nicolette Moses, Associate Producer and Planning Manager at the Baxter Theatre Centre, joined them for the final round.

The bursary is 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, it is essential that they are willing, on their return, to use the skills gained to enthuse and encourage others, towards a love and understanding of Shakespeare. Winners will be chosen according to their talent for Shakespeare performance, passion, commitment and overall suitability.

The two successful bursars will be based at to the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of the world’s most famous playwright, from 18 June to 19 July.

The work programme will include activities such as attending warm-ups, solo and company voice and verse classes, any Artist Development workshops rehearsals and technical rehearsals, as well as sessions with directors and assistant directors and the opportunity to attend Education Department workshops.

The successful candidates will be based in the Artist Development Department and it is hoped that much of the learning experience will come from observation, discussion with personnel working in production, press and casting departments and through contact with other actors, directors and members of the RSC.  

The selection criteria stipulate that the actors should be South African citizens, between the ages of 20 and 30 in June 2010, have an interest in classic theatre, have a valid passport and be able to fly to Stratford during the stated period, as dates are strictly not negotiable.

For the audition actors were required to perform two classic speeches (one tragic and one comic) as well as being prepared to tell us why they should be awarded the bursary.

Omphile Molusi became the first recipient of the bursary in 2007 and in 2008 Thami Mbongo and Nicholas Pauling were chosen from nine finalists. All three actors performed last year in the highly acclaimed The Tempest which marked the second collaboration between the Baxter Theatre Centre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Brett Goldin Bursary is held every two years alternating between Johannesburg and Cape Town, and two winners are selected. So the next calling will take place in Cape Town in 2012. For information on how to support the Brett Goldin Bursary Fund visit www.baxter.co.za under the heading “Fundraising”.