The South African State Theatre Presents QINA

The South African State Theatre will be presenting the musical QINA by Given Wiseman Chauke from 4th to 23rd June at the theatre before it heads to the National Arts Festival to feature in the Fringe Programme at Makhanda (Grahamstown) this July.

Last year the production was part of the State Theatre's Incubator Programme- which is a development programme aimed at preparing semi-professional artists for the mainstream industry. Chauke who is a writer, director, and choreographer, his potential was spotted from the programme, and now the theatre has vowed to support him and his work when entering the premier stage of the industry.

QINA (Zulu/ Xhosa word meaning 'be strong') is based on the depression suffered by the youth in our society today. Its story follows a young student who gets swallowed by the city when chasing his dreams. A malicious girlfriend and a devious Lecturer, along with fake friends potentially ruin his life. Backed by afro sounds and thrilling choreography, the musical delves into stories of young people living in big cities trying to pursue their dreams but struggle to fit in or keep up with the uptown life.

This new South African musical aims to expose the good and the bad side of selfless love today, and how the practice of hypergamy keeps adding on current social issues such as patriarchy, gender-based violence, and many other issues. It features performers Katlego Nche, Mpule Matlhola, and Percival Moeketsi.

"People are constantly depriving themselves content and joyful life trying to please the world around them. The truth is, you cannot please everyone, and you can't "fit in" everywhere no matter how you try. It is better to be happy with yourself and be loved for who you are than to suffer for what you are not," says Chauke.

Chauke was born and raised in Tembisa, where he first started performing at a young age of seven. He took drama classes at Bokamoso Secondary School, Sibikwa Saturday Arts Academy and Tswelopele performing artists where he learned acting, writing, directing, choreography and arts entrepreneurship. During this time, he won several awards for excellence. In 2013 he enrolled for Musical Theatre at the Tshwane University of Technology.

South African State Theatre: 4-23 June
Opening Night: 07-JUN-2019 20:00
Tickets: R100-110
National Arts festival: 2-6 July 2019