31 Mar 2022

A musical theatre production dubbed Another Devil on the Cross written and directed by Shabba Kgotlaetsho, will be performed at Maitisiong Theatre on Friday and Saturday.

The Lepatapata Art Ensemble, which consist of 15 actors, mostly women, was designed to break barriers and challenge the notion that women were not capable of holding influential positions. Kgotlaetsho in an interview on Thursday, said the cast would focus on women’s subjugation in today’s society.

Although some women have been given positions of power, Kgotlaetsho said it was usually only a ceremonial appointment in which their influence was not only limited but completely ignored. The production is based on everyday actual concerns and uses the church as a mirror.

Although the production title was informed by the history and meaning of the cross as an object of hope for christians and the church in particular, Kgotlaetsho stated that this time around it intended to remove the ‘anger’ from the owners in order to make it suitable for communal viewing. The production also reignited the debate between religion and its expectations through a series of encoded messages drawn from contemporary society’s challenges, such as false hope, betrayal, and violence against humanity, homosexuality, and God, among others.

“Some people have been victims of these issues, and it happened in church, and this has pushed them to leave church,” he explained. Aubrey Poo and Trisha Magwaneng are the lead actors, and both have extensive experience in acting and theatre production.

Magwaneng is also a film student at one of the local film production institutions, and Poo is a South African actor and singer best known for his roles as Pelo Mohale in the SABC 2 soapie Muhvango and as the host of the SABC 1 game show All you need is love. From 2008 to 2011, he played the role of Lefa Letswalo, a youth pastor in training, on the etv soapie Scandal. Poo plays Bishop Benedict, who was tasked with instilling new church teachings about covenants. He encountered varying levels of resistance, particularly from older reverend mothers.

 Magwaneng portrayed Sister Ann, an African Apostolic who abandoned her calling as a healer and prophet to become a Nun-trainee in the mainline church. During her second season of novitiate training, she reverts to her traditional spirit faith.

This caused dissatisfaction in the covenant, as well as putting her leadership against each other and their faith.

The extra cast consists of 10 sisters, the majority of whom were born and raised in the church, while others became interested in it as they approached their adolescent years. ENDS