Stage actor Ngcebo Cele has a bright future in theatre - that's if his first award is anything to go by.

The young actor from Ladysmith, KZN, whose professional career started in 2009, won the a promising actor award at the Durban Theatre Awards last month for his role in Ulwembu.

The play had a successful run at The Playhouse in Durban last year.

It just finished finished its short Johannesburg stint last week, at the Hillbrow Theatre.

Ulwembu, or spider web, is an honest, informative and incisive theatre production about drug dependency.

Ahead of its debut in Durban, the production had undergone a two-year research into increasing levels of nyaope (or whoonga, as is called in KZN) use.

Cele plays Andile - a drug addict who influences the son of a police officer to also take drugs.

Cele says Ulwembu affords local theatre audiences the opportunity to walk in the shoes of the mostly misunderstood drug users, their families, dealers, police officers and social workers.

The 30-year-old says while doing research for Ulwembu, 80% of nyaope addicts told them that they hated using the substance.

Almost all the addicts claimed that they were forced by circumstances at home to smoke it.

"Most of them said they used nyaope because no one wants to listen to them, sometimes their parents are too busy and do not have time for them," he says.

Cele says the show teaches us to "listen to our children in particular and young people in general so that we can help".

The talented actor also believes that Ulwembu is more than just a play but a social learning tool that explores the many ways into nyaope use.

"Ulwembu teaches us to take the issue of nyaope or whoonga seriously because it is a societal problem.

"This is not the struggle of families who have a whoonga user, it is everyone's problem."

Cele says his love of theatre started when he was in standard six (Grade 8). He began his acting career in sketches in church.

He and a friend later founded a community theatre group.

After matriculating, he moved from Ladysmith to Durban, driven by his passion for the arts.

In 2008 Cele was selected for a 10-month performing arts programme, which he adds, he passed with flying colours.

In 2009 he got the opportunity to work with award winning director Edmund Mhlongo in the play Madam President.

Since then, Cele has acted in productions such as May Be, Just Don't, Camp13 and A Bull CalledBahlangane.

The creative team behind Ulwembu is Neil Coppen, Mpume Mtombeni and educational sociologist Dr Dylan McGarry.