One man, 20 characters
DURBAN drama student Tashmeer Chetty has challenged himself by writing a one man play in which he portrays 20 different characters.
Chetty who is studying at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is also the producer and director of the show, ‘House On Fifth Avenue’, which uses satire and comedy to address the problems faced by the Indian community.
Chetty who lives in Phoenix said the play explores various themes like politics, dogmatism (blind belief), utility bill issues, family betrayal, gender hegemony, and hypocrisy among people of various religious backgrounds.
“The play came about after interviewing people in the community last December. They'd tell me of their hardships and how they're struggling to make ends meet. I knew there and then that if I were to write a play, it needed to express these issues and give voice to the voiceless,” said Chetty.
In the play he portrays the characters of individuals he met during his research.
Chetty has already been part of 18 productions, including Gibson Kente's ‘Too Late’ and Ronnie Govender's ‘At The Edge And Other Cato Manor Stories’.
His love for drama and writing started at the age of 5 when his mother first noticed that he was outspoken.
“I gave a speech on the late Nelson Mandela for a school contest. I didn't win, but I garnered affection and acclaim from my school principal and teachers.
“My mother noticed how I had the ability to impersonate actors and actresses. She championed the idea of me being a good actor and supported me throughout my eleven year journey. At that time, I really loved the character of "Kalay" from a local series called "Broken Promises", who was a no-nonsense lawyer. I guess she was my biggest inspiration then,” said Chetty.
After 11 years of doing published works, Chetty decided that it's time for him to go out and make a difference by reviving theatre “after being inspired by the likes of Sir John Kani, Dr Muthal Naidoo, Dr Ronnie Govender and Mbongeni Ngema. Since I worked on solo theatre in At The Edge, I thought it would be great to have my first production along the same lines,” said Chetty.
He said the hardest part in his play was trying to portray his characters in a manner that still stays true to who they are, yet still has that comical touch.
“I worked on At The Edge, wherein I played 38 characters which provided me with the tools to work on multiple characters. Working on my home production, It was truly a refreshing experience seeing characters from my perspective,” said Chetty.
Performing so many characters has its issues and at times he forgets his lines, but he learnt to improvise over the years.
“Practice entails locking myself in a room and working in front of a mirror to perfect everything from voice, to expressions to gestures. Managing the show has been strenuous, but it had to be done.
“Solo Theatre is so beautiful! It brings out the actors best and worst, lays it on a pretty platter and gives the actor insight as to how vast their abilities are. It also portrays the notion that it is safe for us to cross racial, gender and age borders, as well as to leave our comfort zones and explore,” said Chetty.
His biggest dream is to revive theatre, especially since he feels it has been reduced to a niche market.
“My specific focus is on Indic Theatre (theatre of the Indian Diaspora), which is a genre that tends to be overlooked in South African history. One day, I hope to revolutionise the stage and screen, following in the footsteps of my idols. I hope that theatre is one day available to the masses or that at least every school child is exposed to theatre,” said Chetty.
Chetty aims to become a Professor of both English and Drama, while revolutionising the arts industry.
