Mandla Gaduka

Mandla Gaduka started his acting career in 2002 at the Mmabana Cultural Center, where he did a full-time Drama course and then moved to Pretoria to join the South African State Theatre development under the mentorship of Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom, where his professional journey started.

During his years at the State Theatre, Gaduka worked on a number shows written and directed by Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom, namely Cards, which had successful season at the State Theatre and Market Theatre, and Relativity – Township Stories, which also had very successful runs at the State Theatre and Market Theatre, and went on a three-month tour of the UK in 2006, also playing at a number of festivals in Europe. Another successful theatre production he worked on is Sarafina, written and directed by Mbongeni Ngema and starring Leleti Khumalo. Gaduka also did some classics by William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet directed by Clare Stepford, where he played the role of Paris; and Julius Caesar, directed by Clara Vaughn, where he played the role of Brutus.

After eight years being on stage and learning everything he could about the craft of acting, he made his move to television in 2010. His first television job started as a three-month contract on Generations and ultimately grew in to a three year journey on what was the most watched soapie at the time, playing the role of Choppa. He also starred in a comedy show, playing the role of Solomon in Gauteng Maboneng, for which he won two SAFTAs in the category of Best Lead Actor in A Comedy in 2016 and 2018.

In 2014 he was cast in a telenovela called Ashes to Ashes in the role of Damian. Damian was a supporting role, which grew over the show’s two seasons and on the second and last season of the show he was nominated and won a SAFTA for Best Supporting Actor in a Soapie/Telenovela in 2017. When the channel commissioned a new telanovela, he was offered the opportunity to continue with his character on the new show called Broken Vows and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and was nominated again for Best Supporting Actor in a Soapie/Telenovela in 2018.

In 2018 Gaduka returned to the Market Theatre to do a play titled My Hole, My Home, a two-hander about two homeless men surviving the streets of Johannesburg, directed by Phala O. Phala and written by John Ledwaba.

As an actor, Gaduka believes that his role is to shift the conversation, around whatever subject, from the head to the heart, from words to feelings. If he can get you, as a viewer, to laugh or to empathise or even just to emotionally connect with a character that is different from you…. Then he knows he can proudly take a bow and continue to call himself an actor.

Katlego Kaygee Letsholonyana

Katlego Kaygee Letsholonyane is an award-winning actor and Setswana writer who hails from Dinokana village in the North West province. He is a celebrated Market Theatre Laboratory alumni who is an accomplished stage and screen actor. Letsholonyane is no stranger to the Market Theatre stages and has performed in a number of noteworthy productions including: Luthando Mngomezulu and Mpho Molepo’s Nailed, Lesedi Job’s Itsoseng, Monageng Motshabi’s Ankobia, Phala Ookeditse Phala’s Egoli and James Ngcobo’s Ketekang. Some of his performance highlights on national stages include: Prince Lamla’s Devil on the Cross, Dom Gumede and Neil Coppen’s Tsotsi, The Muscial and Bantu The Biko Story directed by Makhaola Ndebele.

Letsholonyane is passionate about writing and creating new work for South African stages and premiered his revolutionary full length Setswana play, Seperekisi on the POPArt Theatre stage in Maboneng and the Market Theatre Laboratory. He is a keen collaborator and works closely with Zikkazimba Productions and Hijinx Theatre. Together with these companies, Letsholonyane has co-created and performed in both Fire House and Taking Flight directed by Kirsten Harris. In November 2019 Letsholonyane premiered his offering Darkie, directed by Jaques De Silva and performed in the Ramolao Makhene Theatre at The Market Theatre Laboratory. Letsholonyane is passionate about storytelling, experimenting with new forms of performance and his mother-tongue, Setswana. He is also on a daily drama show on SABC1 called Skeem Saam playing the character of Chef Kgosi.

Barileng Malebye

Barileng Malebye trained at the Market Theatre Laboratory in Johannesburg, class of 2010–2011. She has had the privilege of starring in Lepatata by Moagi Modise, the first ever Setswana play to be staged at the Market Theatre, which won the Best Ensemble at the 2015 Naledi Theatre Awards. Malebye played Princess in Sophiatown at the Market Theatre, directed by Professor Malcolm Purkey, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Naledi Theatre Awards in 2016.

Malebye has also worked with three Winners of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award: Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi, Director of Mogatapele; Princess Mhlongo, Director of Divas of Kofifi, as the lead narrator Zawazi; and Christiaan Olwagen, Director of Dogma. Her love and passion for the stage is something she cannot explain and has enabled her to be a part of great musicals like Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler, Phirimane Ya Hip Hop by Omphile Molusi, and even King Kong the musical, which helped establish legends like Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba in the 1950s and later had a re-run at The Fugard Theatre in 2017.

Malebye also had the privilege of working with Aubrey Sekhabi in the State Theatre's Sophiatown and The Red On The Rainbow, which has been nominated for the Naledi Awards 2023. Her television credits include Detective Moeti in The River on Mzansi Magic (from Season 4 to the current Season 6) and as Lydia in the final season of The Wife on Showmax. Malebye has just finished working on Met Woorde Soos Kerse at Suidoosterfees alongside household names including Jerry Mofokeng and Antjie Krog.

Thulani Zwane

With a passion for singing, Thulani Zwane took part in a program called Music Active in 1997. In the same year, he had a part in the musical Wanna Be Gonna Be at the Market Theatre and Civic Theatre. Zwane graduated in 2001 from Moving into Dance with a Diploma in Dance Teaching and Performance. He’s performed in shows like Stamping, directed by Zenzi Mbuli, World Earth Summit, choreographed by Somizi Mhlongo, as a singer and dancer in the musical show African Footprints by Richard Loring, Somehow Delightful by Gregory Maqoma, and Walking Next To ur Shoes and Babysitting Tête de cire by Robyn Orlin. He has choreographed and taught at the National School of the Arts, Johanessburg. He was Assistant Director for an Edudance activation show called Dancing Singing Green by Hlabelela Ensemble.

Zwane was part of a TV music competition called Clash of the Choirs, representing team Gauteng; here he used his talent as both singer and choreographer and assisted the team to get to the finals in 2014. He’s been the lead singer on a music television show called Imizwilili since 2016. He also performed at the World Choir Games hosted in Pretoria, South Africa in 2018 and been a performer and creative collaborator on African Exodus. Zwane has recently performed two of his works, Inkomo and Church Emabandleni, at The Center for the Less Good Idea, Season 10.

Photos by Joe Smith Photography – @joeolismith