However Mvelase, a perfectionist, believes that as a performer you are never totally satisfied. The actors have been rehearsing for the show for the past three weeks and on Wednesday it was all about putting final touches. Slabolepszy is one of the great writers who still write the old way by packing the script with a lot of dialogue.
“Whether I am ready or not the show is opening on Friday. I am looking forward to the opening night. As a performer you always wish you could do better and you could give more until the show is done.
“Some days you feel you are the worst performer and you come back the next day you want to do better. I guess performing is not for the faint-hearted. With theatre you cannot hide behind makeup and editing. If you fail, you fail right there.”
Borderline also deals with mental health and it is told with a bit of humour. The play was written before Covid-19 came into the picture but is more relevant than before. Mvelase points out that acting in a show about mental issues is challenging because of the sensitivity of the subject and making sure that the audience get the message.
“When you are dealing with mental illness, you deal with a lot of emotions. The play opens with the couple, Raymond and Faith, a mix racial couple, sitting at the reception of an old-age home to visit Raymond’s father.
“The two are about to relocate to Canada and before doing that Raymond wants to speak to his father who was very abusive to him. His father was a soldier and experienced a lot of trauma and ended up taking that trauma on the kids. The three experience their own traumas in their lives.”
Apart from theatre production, Mvelase is a host of a very interesting show called Seng’khathele, which follows lovers who want to walk away from their relationships for various reasons, from lack of attraction to abusive situations. The show is currently airing on Saturdays at 8pm on Mzansi Wethu. She feels that the show is relevant because it forces the country to have conversations about the concept of 50/50.
“When the show started, I thought it was about gossiping and I was like why would I be part of such a show? And how is it going to benefit me and the people? But as soon as I understood what it was about I realised this is what the country needs. It shows who we are as black people in relationships. Hopeful people can watch the show and learn.”
“Through meeting different characters of people I have realised that the concept of 50/50 is misunderstood. And it was not well-explained to black people. Remember, we have been doing things in a certain way for years. It is interpreted differently by both women and men.”
Mvelase, a single mother of three, has acted in various television shows, films and stage shows. In TV she has acted in shows such as Isibaya, Kaelo, Home Affairs, Shreds and Dreams, Soul City, Tempy Pushas, The Road and The Wife, among others.
Fact File:
Favourite music genre: Jazz
Favourite artist: Zoe Modiga and Brenda Mtambo
Favourite holiday destination: Camping near Kruger National Park
Favourite TV show: The Wife and Savage Beauty
Favourite actor: Nthati Moshesh
Actress Lerato Mvelase says she wants to quit acting at 50
Mvelase focuses on studies to prepare for life after the arts
Image: SUPPLIED
Television, stage and film actor Lerato Mvelase wants to quit the industry while she is still ahead.
Unlike many performers who wants to die onstage, the 40-year-old energetic actress wants to retire while she still in demand. If things go according to her plan, Mvelase wants to quit at 50, though she thinks by that time she'd still have a lot to offer the industry.
Born in Diepkloof, Soweto, Mvelase has already started working towards her goal by registering for postgraduate diploma in business management at Regenesys Business School. She does not want to stop there. Next year, she wants to register for her Master's of Business Administration (MBA) because the bigger vision is to become a minister of arts and culture or go to corporate.
As she chats to Sowetan after an amazing performance in Paul Slabolepszy’s play Borderline, that is set to open at the Market Theatre in Newtown tonight, she sounds like a woman who has got everything figured out.
She wants to acquire her doctor of philosophy (PhD) before turning 50. In 2015, she attained a degree in communication science through University of SA, which took her 10 years to complete.
“I am 40 years old this year. I started to think about where I want to be in 10 years’ time. I love performing and it has put food on the table for my kids and family, but I don’t want to be still here at 50. I told myself in these 10 years I have to get my MBA and PhD.
“I want to be in a position where I can run the arts industry. Another thing, I feel I have explored everything from TV, stage and film and I cannot die in this industry. After 50, I will act when I want to — both theatre and TV. I won’t be depending on acting. I want to quit when you still want to see more of me.”
Switching back to her current show, Mvelase plays the role of Faith Dlamini, an entrepreneur in the show Borderline. It's a gripping and powerful drama that deals with complex family relationships and the consequences of unresolved trauma. After watching the trio (Mvelase, Slabolepszy and Anthony Coleman) bringing the story to life, the show looks ready to open.
However Mvelase, a perfectionist, believes that as a performer you are never totally satisfied. The actors have been rehearsing for the show for the past three weeks and on Wednesday it was all about putting final touches. Slabolepszy is one of the great writers who still write the old way by packing the script with a lot of dialogue.
“Whether I am ready or not the show is opening on Friday. I am looking forward to the opening night. As a performer you always wish you could do better and you could give more until the show is done.
“Some days you feel you are the worst performer and you come back the next day you want to do better. I guess performing is not for the faint-hearted. With theatre you cannot hide behind makeup and editing. If you fail, you fail right there.”
Borderline also deals with mental health and it is told with a bit of humour. The play was written before Covid-19 came into the picture but is more relevant than before. Mvelase points out that acting in a show about mental issues is challenging because of the sensitivity of the subject and making sure that the audience get the message.
“When you are dealing with mental illness, you deal with a lot of emotions. The play opens with the couple, Raymond and Faith, a mix racial couple, sitting at the reception of an old-age home to visit Raymond’s father.
“The two are about to relocate to Canada and before doing that Raymond wants to speak to his father who was very abusive to him. His father was a soldier and experienced a lot of trauma and ended up taking that trauma on the kids. The three experience their own traumas in their lives.”
Apart from theatre production, Mvelase is a host of a very interesting show called Seng’khathele, which follows lovers who want to walk away from their relationships for various reasons, from lack of attraction to abusive situations. The show is currently airing on Saturdays at 8pm on Mzansi Wethu. She feels that the show is relevant because it forces the country to have conversations about the concept of 50/50.
“When the show started, I thought it was about gossiping and I was like why would I be part of such a show? And how is it going to benefit me and the people? But as soon as I understood what it was about I realised this is what the country needs. It shows who we are as black people in relationships. Hopeful people can watch the show and learn.”
“Through meeting different characters of people I have realised that the concept of 50/50 is misunderstood. And it was not well-explained to black people. Remember, we have been doing things in a certain way for years. It is interpreted differently by both women and men.”
Mvelase, a single mother of three, has acted in various television shows, films and stage shows. In TV she has acted in shows such as Isibaya, Kaelo, Home Affairs, Shreds and Dreams, Soul City, Tempy Pushas, The Road and The Wife, among others.
Fact File:
Favourite music genre: Jazz
Favourite artist: Zoe Modiga and Brenda Mtambo
Favourite holiday destination: Camping near Kruger National Park
Favourite TV show: The Wife and Savage Beauty
Favourite actor: Nthati Moshesh
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