27 Mar 2025

The two-hander stage play by Tsoga Africa, The Briefcase, Unpacking the Budget Speech premiered captivated the audience at the Molapo Theatre on Wednesday. 

Written by Gabriel Modise and Kealeboga Tsheko, the play focuses on the 2025/2026 national Budget Speech as well as touching on some social issues that affect the nation, narrating it in simple creative artistry to the audience. 

This play represented one of the greatest pieces of theatre for just two performers, displaying their mastery and passion as committed artists sharing their love for acting and understanding of national issues. 

The talented duo captivated the audience from start to finish with their outstanding flow of delivery. 

Their dialogue was brilliantly engaging and crisp, whilw highlighting important issues affecting Batswana. Through their  beautiful piece of theatre,  they held everyone’s attention for a good 47 minutes. 

It was filled with repetitive dialogues, capturing the essence of hope that this year’s Budget Speech has for Batswana, especially the young people. 

Ntirelang Berman’s background music to establish the setting, pace, mood, and advancing the story was a cherry on top.

His musical genius drove the narrative home with some nostalgic tunes from morning radio signature tunes from Radio Botswana. 

Two-hander plays or two-person plays, which are famous for their impact on cultural and social discussions, represent a unique and compelling niche within the theatre world. 

These productions, relying solely on the performances of two actors, offer a distinct challenge and showcase for those on stage, marking a final testament to their versatility and skill. 

The intimacy of the format allows for deep exploration of characters, relationships, and themes. In an interview the play’s director Modise, explained that this aspect of acting was not a popular market in Botswana compared to acting in groups or with a large cast crew. 

“We are bringing in another aspect of acting, where you can act alone or in pairs as we did tonight; changing characters. And this piece reduces budget for a production if a company is working on a limited budget,” Modise said.

He said the production was taxing, as there was a musician, MC, as well as a lighting person for a brilliant quality production. 

Modise said it was a challenging experience as people were not conversant with it yet. 

“However, we are taking this production to the people across the country however way we can to convey the message from this budget document through entertainment,” he said, adding that they will start with Parliament with intention to engage the Speaker of Parliament to gather Members of Parliament for a showcase. 

He also said they will thereafter take it to councils for councillors as the play talks about issues which affect and impact their constituents at their districts. 

“We use a triple E strategy; Entertainment and Education for Empowerment; where we teach people, empower them with comic for easier grasp of issues through theatre,” he said. ENDS