TNT DIRECTING TASK

APRIL ASSESSMENT 2023

Name: Merveille Anyishayi

Student number: 22903225

Lecturer: Mr Renos Spanoudes

Part One
Having journeyed with Talia Smith’s Oscar award winning film UMAMA, I have gained
and learned a few lessons that I can apply as a writer, director, performer and as a
student in the in the arts. These lessons are, to be authentic about the stories that I will
tell, along with that to be able write about the stories close to me, the stories around me
that I relate to and matter to me. Just like the Greek there is sometimes no need to
depict graphic and violent scenes on stage or film. Cliches can be good if they are
appropriately used and lastly you sometimes don’t need a before time to give the
audience the full picture of what you are trying to show them.
Authenticity in story telling is important as it portrays the lived experiences of those
represented in a genuine and honest way. It allows for those who have been
represented, whether in the form of fictional or non-fictional stories, to strike a chord
with the audience as accurate and respectfully by depicting the complexities and
realties of those who live these identities every day. Authentic story telling allows for
underrepresented groups to be able to fully and earnestly relate to the characters that
are their stand ins, in the stories that are being told, in a way that does not offend
according to certain stereotypes that have been told before. I believe Talia Smith
authentically depicted the stories of many domestic workers out there in Sue “umama”,
as a strong woman who sacrifices for the sake of her son, but not only her own kin but
the family in which she works for.
Writing stories close to you allows you to be able to tell those in the most authentic way.
As Talia Smith had said in one of her interviews because she was so close to Sue
writing the script allowed to her to show to her friends and the world that umama was
more than just a domestic worker. On a more personal note, writing such stories allows
you to reflect on the moments that you will be focusing on which can bring some
catharsis for yourself. Audiences tend to resonate more with depictions and stories
based on real events as they bring about a sense of a reality check in their lives. They
do not just come away from the performances having enjoyed it but with lessons and
questions which need to ne answered in their own lives. Some of these questions and
lesson that come about in the film umama is that” how well do we treat our domestic
workers?”, “are the sacrifices we make in life worth it if we lose those we love along the
way?”.
Symbols and signs can be just as powerful if not more powerful as the graphic depiction
of violence on stage or in film. A lot of directors like to include gruesome violent scenes
to perhaps shock their audiences, however it can be off putting and not have the
emotional impact it needs to have. Not once if Talia Smith’s UMAMA did, we see any
graphic violence but the directorial decision to use cuts, signs and symbol to portray it
was more impactful. The scene that best portrays such a decision is portraying
Thabiso’s death through the visual and sounds of the boys hit pool balls. This paints the
picture in our minds that perhaps he was shot, and we are left to wonder how exactly he
died, and this leaves the audience with a greater impact.
Cliches are a great way to communicate a narrative if they are used sparingly an
appropriately. They give the audience a clear way into understanding a story or scene.
This means that those watching a story don’t always have to constantly make up or try
to figure out what is happening but using cliches they are able to immediately get what
is being communicated on screen or stage, as they have seen these cliches used
before in similar situations. One such cliches used in the film is when the two police
officers were knocking on the door looking for Sue. As audiences we immediately know
that bad news is coming as we have seen this being used before as a cliché where
whenever there are specifically two officers then there is bad news. There wasn’t even
any dialogue, but the message was communicated directly using this cliché.
Lastly the beauty in short films or plays if they are well directed and acted out is that for
a lot of characters and relationships, there is not a need to have many scenes showing
us before time. Audiences can immediately pick on the relationship types and where
each character seats psychologically and emotionally just from a few scenes. This is
seen in the scene where Thabo is getting his academic award at the school. Without
having seen previous encounter or before times, audience members can immediately
pick up that Thabo feels estranged with his mother for not showing up at this award
ceremony. They can instantly also presume that it is probably not the first time that she
missed one of his important events just by the sheer disappointment and frustration on
his face in the way he looks in the crowd to see whether she is there.
To conclude, it’s crucial to be authentic while presenting stories since it helps to
accurately and honestly depict the real experiences of the characters. You can
communicate stories that are personal to you in the most real way by writing about
them. The vivid depiction of violence on stage or in a movie can sometimes be
surpassed in power by symbols and signs. If utilized selectively and correctly, clichés
can be a terrific tool for conveying a story. If a short film or play is effectively directed
and performed, it doesn't necessarily need to have a lot of scenes showing us the
characters and their relationships before they happen.
Part two
As the director I have decided to recreate five minutes of the Oscar winning short film
UMAMA back on stage at the Masker theatre in the university of Pretoria. The 1 st minute
of the 5 minuets that will be recreated will be the last scene of Cassandra at her school
play looking out into the crowd waiting for Sibongile to show up. I think it is an important
scene as it directly links the first scene of the film where Thabiso is waiting for Sibongile.
With the exception that Thabiso does not get the moment where his mother shows up
however Cassandra has it where her umama does even if it was just a few minutes late.
From there onwards the rest of the 4 minutes will be the scenes leading up to the last
scene. Where the Sibongile is feeling anxious about not hearing from Thabiso and she’s
waiting to go home in order to celebrate his academic achievement and she asks
Bridgette her boss if she can go home early for it. All this happening before she receives
the bad news of his passing from her friend and Sipho. The bad news being that he was
killed when he got in a fight because he got angry as he lost in a game snooker.
There will be an auditioning call out proposed to all the 2 nd drama department. I will be
looking for performers who will best fit the characters portrayed in the film. Through not
only their looks but their embodiment of each of the characters. For those chosen, there
will a time to bond with the rest of their castmates to ensure that there is chemistry on
the stage of performance.
My chosen casts will all be from the 2 nd year drama student department at the university
of Pretoria. Sibongile will be played by Reotshepile Molelwa because I think she will be
able to embody the character better than most as she knows and as seen first-hand
from her own mother who has made multiple sacrifices for her. Cassandra will be
played by Janelle Olivier as she short which means it will be believable that she is a
little girl along with her ability to be able to play a bubbly childish character. Sipho will be
played by Banele Masuku as he resembles the character and will be able to portray the
friendly nature and characteristic that Sipho has it is in the film. Sipho’s mother will be
played by an extra as she does not have any lines in the recreation of my five minutes.
Lastly Bridgette will be played by Jessica Jonker, because she as the experience of
living in Sandton and she is one of the few students in the drama department who has
played multiple roles, and characters so I trust her to take on the character of a good
and understanding boss. The reimagination of the film on stage will be done in a
minimalistic way so this means that the creation of the set and props will not accurately
represent what is depicted in the film. the first scene of Cassandra at her school play
will have just have 6 chairs with Bridgette (Jessica) wearing a brown and black dress,
will be seated in the audience in the last seats so that everybody can be able to turn
around and with an empty chair next to her reserved for Sibongile (Reotshepile) as
Cassandra (Janelle) wearing black shirt and pants looking into the audience with
wondering expressions is on stage lit with a general wash.
Then Sibongile wearing all black (black dress that is easily removable with the domestic
worker clothing on the inside, with a black head wrap, which if reversed inside out would
be white) will walk in and seat next to Bridgette and the spotlight would immediately be
on them as they as they follow what happened in the film with Bridgette holding her
hand. Then black out to prepare the stage for the next scene as Jessica and
Reotshepile will walk on stage to join Cassandra who would wear a flower spotted dress
over her black outfit, Then Sibongile will removes her black dress and reverse the head
wrap inside out for her domestic worker outfit. The stage would have a door stage right
and a table with some plates and a stove made from carboard box. This would then be
the kitchen scene where Sibongile is asking Bridgette if she can be able to leave work
early in order to celebrate Thabiso, with Bridgette telling her that there are leftovers to
take, and she can take as many nartjies as she wants for him as she knows that there
are his favourites. All this would be happening with Sibongile holding a baby doll
wrapped in a blanket. In this scene where Cassandra comes back to ask Sibongile to fix
the necklace, this is where the pinkie promise would be made so that Sibongile attends
her school play.
then black out as we strike out the entire kitchen set, and Cassandra and Bridgette
leave the stage with only Sibongile remaining with the baby wrapped doll. Enter a
bassinet on stage to represent the baby’s room, then lights back on as Sibongile places
the baby down in it, to take her phone to Sipho (Banele) to find out where Thabiso is.
There would audio playing of Sipho’s responses saying he has not heard from him as
Sibongile enquires of his whereabouts. In this there would be added lines with Sibongile
reminding Sipho that if he sees Thabiso to let him know that she loves him and that she
has his favourite snacks nartjies ready for him.
Then a black out, a divider wall would come in, to split the stage in half. Stage right
would have Sibongile back with the kitchen set except this time on the table there would
be nartjies in a bowl and a lunch box packed with food, along with that there would be a
door downstage. Whilst stage left would have Sipho wearing a white shirt with black
overalls sitting on a couch using his phone and there will be a door downstage on his
side too. Stage right would be dimly lit as Sibongile is tiding up the kitchen and
preparing the leftover food and putting nartjies in a plastic. Whilst stage right would
Sipho in the middle of using his phone hears a knock on his door, and when he answers
and opens the door. There would be standing two police officers played by two drama
student wearing sky blue shirts and navy-blue plants with hats.
Once this scene begins the lights on stage left will start to slowly fade out as they have
miming conversation with sipho as he begins to portray sadness. Concurrently with this
would be the lights of stage right becoming brighter as we start hearing Sibongile
humming a tune. Once stage right becomes bright then stage left would gone
completely dark to allow for the removal of the couch and door and bring plastic to place
down next to the wall divider. Going back to stage right we then hear a knock on the
door and Sibongile answers who is it, then hearing Sipho’s voice answering back. As
she opens the door, she sees Sipho with a distraught look on his face, she asks “what’s
going on”. Then Sipho begins to tell the story that Thabiso had gotten into a fight, then
stage left fade in back with lights.
As sipho continues to tell the story on stage left there are two boys who come in from
the wings wearing bucket hats and old torn clothing with nartjies in their hand. They
then begin to throw the nartjies into the wall the divider as sipho tells the story of
Thabiso’s fight because he was angry as he lost a game of snooker. With every throw
being more violent than the next with as they violently grunt, and when sipho finally says
that Thabiso then died, the two boys both throw nartjies at the same time at the wall to
symbolise his death as we see on stage right Sibongile falls in despair dropping the
nartjies that were on the table as she begins to weep over them.
Finally black out and we strike everything on stage, with Bridgette making her way back
into the audience where she was seated in the first scene and of course with open seat
reserved for Sibongile. As Cassandra steps back on stage wearing the same costume
she had in her first scene, on the look out to see if her Umama has made it. Then
seconds later Sibongile rushes in from the steps to sit next Cassandra and the spotlight
hits them again and they replay the first scene with holding hands to comfort her for the
loss. Reaching the end of the play with final black out as the performers all go on stage
to have their bows.

The stage wall divider that will be used

What the stove will resemble made from paper boxes

Sources consulted.
UMAMA. (2021). [online]. Talia Smith. Omeleto. Available on the YouTube channel
Omeleto. [viewed on the 1st of April 2023] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz7-
2vp55VY&t=44s
SBC news (2022). Umama a new short film centred around Sibongile a domestic
worker. Available at. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqWv1wllpbA&t=192s
Femmroom (2021) TALIA SMITH, DIRECTOR OF ‘UMAMA’ STUDENT OSCAR
WINNING FILM TELLS ALL - THAT’S A FACT E6. Available at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8BjzE88umw