Nomsa Nene
NENE, Nomsa (1957-) Actress on stage, film and television, Director, Singer, Dancer, Actor, Puppeteer, Presenter and Producer.
Contents
Biography
She was married to Peter Se-Puma until their separation in 1990.
Training
Career
She started her career with Gibson Kente.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Started in showbusiness when she auditioned for a television commercial at the age of six. *Worked for Gibson Kente in
She starred in the ME nobody knows, for The Company at the Market Theatre in 1977. Benjy Francis directed and it also starred Leslie Mongezi, Leonie Hofmeyr, Barrie Shah and Jonathan Taylor.
She starred in the Pieter-Dirk Uys comedy Die Van Aardes van Grootoor together with Pieter-Dirk Uys, Johan Botha, Lida Botha, Antoinette Kellermann, Magda Beukes and Rina Nienaber (1978). It was directed by Dawie Malan for the opening production of the Laager Theatre in September 1978.
There's No Sugar Left circa 1979.
In 197* she was cast in the lead role of the house maid Poppie in PACOFS’s original Afrikaans stage version of Elsa Joubert’s influential novel Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena (lit: “The wandering years of Poppie Nongena”, but formally translated and published as The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena, 19**). She starred in Elsa Joubert’s Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, directed by Hilary Blecher for The Company at the Market Theatre in August 1980. She went on to portray this role in all the subsequent productions (the PACT production in 19**, the English production at the Market Theatre in 198* and its New York season, etc.) She starred in PACT’s revival of [[Die Swerfja re van Poppie Nongena]] which was directed by Marius Weyers in August 1983 at the State Theatre and then the Alexander Theatre. In 1984 she starred in Marius Weyers's production of the English version at the Market Theatre for which she won the Computicket award. PACT Drama production of Poppie, based on Elsa Joubert's 'Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena', adapted by Sandra Kotzé; and Elsa Joubert, and produced in 1984, directed by Marius Weyers, with Nomsa Nene and Peter Se-Puma in the cast. Photographs taken during the Market Theatre production of "Poppie Nongema": Identified in the photographs are: Aubrey Radebe, Nomsa Nene, Tembsie Times, Whinney-Isaiah Setimo, Arthur Masekwameng, Peter Se-puma, Temba Nyathi and Carolyn Barkhuizen
She starred in Euripides's The Women of Troy which was directed by Dieter Reible for the opening production of the Adcock-Ingram Auditorium in 1987.
Corien Pelt and Nomsa Nene in `My Children! My Africa!' [Athol Fugard] (best leading actress), 1993.
This gave her access to other roles, including Shakespeare productions, as the San woman in Maru (1993), * Symbols of Sex and State (Pieter-Dirk Uys, 2000) ***.
Ways of Dying 1999.
The me nobody knows: a programme for the The Company production directed by Benjy Francis, with Nomsa Nene and Ruth Masilo in the cast, at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg, from 10 May 1977
She was the first black woman to direct a play at the Market Theatre's Laager, when she directed Hamba Dompas in January 1986 with the author (Peter Se-Puma) and John Ledwaba at the Laager.
She moved on to film and TV work as well.***** In 2000 she joined Pieter-Dirk Uys to play Dora in a TV series entitled Going Down Gorgeous, and in the same year became Zaza Gabu in the outragious breakfast time programme The Toasty Show, with Bill Flynn. Zama-Zama presenter.
Documentary film Country Lovers with screenplay by Nadine Gordimer and Nomsa Nene in the cast, 1982.
Awards
Nomsa Nene's twenty year career is nothing short of phenonemal. With a string of feature film, television and theatre credits to her name, she has won significant awards including an OB [Off Broadway] award for her role as Poppie in "Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena".
She won the Computicket award, 1984.
Sources
Tucker, 1997.
AfricaWide database.
Return to
Return to ESAT Personalities N
Return to South African Theatre Personalities
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
