Chronicle Editor
Yvonne Ncube, Chronicle Correspondent
SINCE he joined Bulawayo’s Eveline Girls High School in 2000, the school’s theatre club has become a formidable force, acquiring the enviable reputation of being one of the best theatrical drama schools in the country.
Over the years he has taught the girls how to expertly embody any character they are asked to act — even male roles.
As Thabani Moyo clocks 22 years as the school’s arts director, the theatre club flourishes thanks to his ability to combine his skills as a teacher and an artiste, earning him the title of “teaching artiste”.
Under the tutelage of Moyo, Eveline High has won several awards which include Isiphiwo Sami which afforded them an opportunity to go to Swaziland where their actresses Bathabile Dlamini and Lindiwe Nyathi won top accolades.
Today, TH, as he is affectionately known, has fostered award-winning actresses like Bathabile Dlamini, Delah Dube, and Shamma Nicole Banda.
Under his leadership the school has carried the city’s torch in theatre. The artistic genius is not a figure to be ignored if one is to speak of art in the country.
His dedication for this industry has seen him founding Centre for Talent Development (CTD) which aims to nurture young talent in art.
In an interview with Chronicle Showbiz, the unsung arts genius chronicled his journey in the arts industry.
“When it comes to theatre, I can say I was born an artiste. However, I later fell in love with the art form when I was in Form One at Thekwane High School. I featured in one of the school plays and I became the darling of the school audience. It was then that I also got my first acting name Sawudo. Up to now some people in some circles still call me Salt. My high school love for the art form saw me enrolling to study it at university level.
“Later as a school teacher I started Eveline Drama Club. It was not an easy journey. The club struggled to get its form. It later found its form with the coming in of Mbonisi Mahonondo aka Mbocs Mahocs, Nomalanga Dube and Matilda Dlodlo. From then I started to enjoy being associated with Eveline Drama Club.
Eveline Drama Club has produced many celebrated young female artistes in the form of Bathabile Dlamini, Delah Dube, Shamma Nicole Banda and others,” said TH.
He said in 2016 he started working with various organisations pushing the same goals.
“In 2006 I started working with organisations like Nhimbe Trust where we ushered in School Playwrights and Actors Academy.
It was made of young learners picked from different schools around Bulawayo. I got there because of Raisedon Baya. After my dance with Nhimbe Trust from 2006 to 2010 I worked closely with Intwasa Arts Festival. Eveline High School was an active participant of Intwasa Plan High Schools Drama competitions.
This happened along with Isiphiwo Sami Talent Search which was run by IYASA.
“Eveline High dominated most of these drama competitions until Covid-19 came and stopped these events from happening. I ventured into theatre and drama because I find it as a way of sharing my stories, feelings, frustrations and successes.
My strongest area in the art form has come to me as a playwright. When things are not working well around me, I find myself turning to the pen and writing my next play. Events around me inspire my next projects,” he said.
TH said he has countless projects under his belt which are inspired by life experiences.
‘To my name I have The Immigrants, The Civil Servant, Tensions, Ihloka, Footprints, and Bayethe Nkosi. These I have written for professional theatre. I have written countless short plays for schools and for civil society projects. Some of the projects that I have done are Diary of Madness with Philani A Nyoni and In My Skin with Gift Chakuvinga.
These two projects were solo performances. Diary of Madness was very experimental. It mixed film, still images, poetry, song and dance.
“It was exciting and crazy. It was inspired by my experience in Australia where I saw mixed media being used widely. When the ideas I had came together with Philani’s poetry the result was an explosive product. In My Skin was more of stories that are close to me and my friends. For some it was too close for comfort,” TH said.
In as much as he is making great strides as a teacher, TH said his experiences are accompanied by mixed feelings.
“My experience as a teacher brings mixed feelings. When I started to mix with some artistes, they did not embrace me as one of them. To them I was a teacher until I coined a phrase for what I do and called myself a teaching artiste. However, I also enjoy my job as a theatre teacher.
I am privileged because I am the one who unearths the future stars. I am the one who builds tomorrow’s audiences. Without the school and teachers there is no future for the arts.
“Presently I am working on building the Centre for Talent Development (CTD). To see CTD shaping and formalising its operations is a dream I have lived and wished for to happen. What CTD did this year is only a small fraction of what my team aims to achieve. In the next three years we want to take performance-based workshops to all corners of the country.
He said CTD also seeks to expand and include language based areas.
“We also want to grow our products, expand them to include other languages and learning areas. CTD must be an organisation of choice when it comes to educational products. Some of the challenges I have come across in running projects is to win the trust of the team you work with.
“Most people have been abused in the arts so to win people’s hearts is difficult. In our operations other challenges that we have faced are red tape from officials especially with educational products and working with schools.
“There is always scepticism and our colleagues within the education sector are not happy because they think we are after making money. However, as an educational entrepreneur I am out to create jobs for young artistes and at the same time offer one of the most important products, quality education. Above everything I am a family man, teacher and above all an artiste.
My dream is to come up with one of the model organisations that will prove that the arts can work,” TH Moyo said.
@SeehYvonne
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