AIDS DAY PROJECTS

As World AIDS Day approaches, companies around Durban kick into gear with awareness programmes, and we have been approached by a number of them to assist with their campaigns. Our signature work "SiKhuluma nawe" is in demand, with SA Sugar Terminals and the Durban Container Terminal signing up for this great 25 minute piece that looks at stigma, issues of transmission and prevention, testing, and talking to your partner and your children.

We have also been given a wonderful opportunity by Eskom to work with their supervisors using forum thetare. Forum theatre is a revolutionary way to really grapple with sensitive issues. Basically, we perform a 5-minute play followed by facilitation with the group, who are asked to take to the stage to replay the scenario, solving the problems that we posed in the piece.

Its a time-consuming process, but the involvement from the group in solving their own daily problems is worth the investment.

Mid-year projects

PST project partners have been involved in a number of projects over the past few months. Notably, Mike Gritten starred in the theatre productions The Jungle Book and the Mystery of Irma Vepp. Bheki, Sdu and Bhekani all had roles in the TV series "Bay of Plenty" shot in Durban, due to be aired on SABC from October this year.

On the development front: we worked with the Cultural Radius Consortium to develop material and train young tour guides from the Bhangazi and Kosi areas in the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park. The training involved developing story telling skills amongst the guides so that they could construct their own stories based on their family histories and other collected information to guide cultural walks in the park. An emphasis on presentation skills allowed a marked improvement in the guides over the 2 week training, and we look forward to going back up north to see how their stories and their careers develop.

Water and Sanitation Street Theatre

The PST project has been contracted to develop a script and train 120 community facilitators in a piece of street theatre on water and sanitation issues. The project is spearheaded by Ethekweni Water and the Media In Education Trust / Africa Ignite.

The script features a fabulous selection of characters who live in the village of Emlanjeni .... the translation into isiZulu is complete, and the training of the 120 soon-to-be-fabulous new actors begins later in September.

On stage soon!

The PST Project is proud to announce it's upcoming appearance at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown ....
It's a diversion from our usual health and safety / community theatre for development work. A moving and thought-provoking piece called "the Horseshoe". Written by the guys - its directed by Bhekani, and features Sdu and Bheki. It's a beautiful tale of two young men who are forced into exile to defend their beliefs in the troubled 1980s. The bond of brotherhood is fragile on their return home, and their different fates under the new dispensation take them to very different places. They meet up at the tote one afternoon, and the tension that has characterised their relationship finally outs. It's a story of love and luck, loss and hope in this strange country of ours. If you are in Grahamstown in June / july - don't miss it!

The PST Project (Problem Solving Theatre) is a partnership of performers, writers and directors working in the field of industrial and community theatre, with a specific focus on theatre for health and safety, and positive behavioural change and organisational development messages.

Some of our work over the past few years has focussed on: HIV/AIDS, stress management, risk control, emplyment equity, disability and employee assistance.

Our clients include The Cold Chain, Woolworths, Ugu Municipality, KZN Dept of Local Government and Traditional Affairs and many more .....

For more info you can contact us on pstproject@magicmail.co.za