26/04/2023
Award-winning playwright, actor, songwriter and musician Tankiso Mamabolo is at The Baxter for a brand new collaborative production, Common Ground with Kitso Seti Tata KaSmiles from 2 - 6 May 2023.
They are joined on stage by two live musicians in a reflection of millennials who are quickly approaching 30. In a time where individualism is putting a strain on artists, Tankiso and Kitso have decided to come together to create new avenues for inspiration and find common ground. Performed in English, isiXhosa and seSotho, the vibrant duo look at the reimagination of self to find a new form of self.
Tankiso was seen at The Baxter, in recent years, in Marc Lottering’s hit productions Aunty Merle, The Musical and Aunty Merle, Things Get Real, the internationally acclaimed, The Fall, Tankiso Live and What’s Your Budget with Daniel Mpilo Richards. She co-wrote and performed in the renowned The Fall, which gained international recognition, winning top awards locally and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as being put on the New York Times’ critic’s choice list.
She has worked with prolific directors which include John Kani, Lara Foot, Nwabisa Plaatjie and Amy Jephta. “I am always interested in the relationship and the connection between two performers on stage,” says Tankiso, “the one thing that Kitso and I have in common is our satirical and humorous approach and outlook on the difficulties of life and the things we often struggle to speak about.”
Kitso holds a master’s degree in politics at the University of Cape Town. His research is focused on how Black (Consciousness) theatre can be used to conscientise people and make sense of Black positionality in the world.
From 2014 he became involved with theatre at the Res4Res Festival which won an Innovative Play award and later he produced Imbawula, which won the Best Writer and Best Innovative Play. His new play, Four Fathers: Bananas for the Baboons was staged at The Baxter in 2022. It was selected for staging from the Masambe Writing Residency at the Baxter Theatre, under the supervision of Lara Foot, the CEO of the Baxter and Nwabisa Plaatjie.
Outside of academia, he moonlights as an artist - from rapping to theatre-making. He began doing Hip Hop, Spaza, in 2007 and released his first project eKhayelitsha, in 2018, followed by Lot’s Wife: The Curse of Hoza and Ngxobongwana. In 2020 he released his live room session on YouTube, From the Books of Jeremiah: A Young Black Laments and participated with a band to produce the live concert, Phuman’ Ebhabhiloni.
Kitso was part of the cast of Dipalo which won the bronze medal in the Standing Ovation awards of the 2021 National Arts Festival. He runs a journal called .ngaphakathi. where he writes theatre reviews.
Book your tickets here: webtickets.co.za/baxtertheatre
