Theatreduo & Collective (Pty) Ltd was established by Billy Langa and Mahlatsi Mokgonyana - or The TheatreDuo, as they are affectionately known - an independent collaborative theatre making company based in South Africa. The company began creating its unique brand of physical and storytelling theatrical events and productions in 2015. The company has since produced original creative and theatrical works in South Africa and their work has toured most parts of the country and internationally Including Namibia, Eswatini, Germany, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. Their works have earned them critic’s picks and awards which include the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artists Award 2022 for Theatre, Cape Town Fringe Fresh Award for Performance, Cape Town Fringe Fresh Creative Award for directing, Standard Bank Ovation award, The Naledi Theatre Award for Best Production for young audiences, Naledi Theatre Award for Best Solo performance, IYAF Best International Performance Award, ICA Fellowship Award and ACT (Arts and Culture Trust) Impact prize finalist.
BILLY LANGA
Co-Founder, is an award-winning actor, playwright, and educator. Langa takes a curious approach to theatre that’s deeply relational to the body – puzzling out what theatre means to those who perform it and those who witness it. A recent interest of Langa’s is the presence of language, and how it fits into the physicality of theatre.
MAHLATSI MOKGONYANA
Co-Founder, is an award-winning theatre director, actor and dramaturge who prizes, above all else, the inherent truth in a piece of theatre, and the resultant impact it has on its audiences.
In 2018 Theatreduo & Collective (Pty) Ltd published their critically acclaimed award-winning play Tswalo through Junkets Publishers and in 2019 the play was published in a new edition by iwalewabooks.com which included a forward by Nondumiso Msimang. Tswalo currently forms part of the curriculum at various universities in South Africa including but not limited to Rhodes University, Drama Department, University of Western Cape, Department of English Literature and University of Kwa-Zulu Natal , Drama Department.
Images by Zivanai Matangi