THE Durban Playhouse has opened its doors so that young up-and-coming talent can experience a "real" theatre.

THE Durban Playhouse has opened its doors so that young up-and-coming talent can experience a "real" theatre.

The Playhouse will be staging plays directed and played by amateurs in the theatre industry for the whole of May in an event called the Community Theatre Festival.

The festival gives young talent an opportunity to showcase their skills but, most importantly, actors and playwrights will experience stage conditions provided with perfect lighting installation and good sound equipment.

The festival started last week and will continue until the end of this month.

There is no charge and members of the community, especially those that have not been to a live theatre performance, will have a chance to experience modern theatre trends.

One of the several plays on offer, titled Jesus, What a Disgrace, opens on Thursday.

Co-directed by Musawenkosi Shabalala, Bongumusa Shabalala and Xolani Silindana, the play is set in a mortuary.

Dead folk tell how they ended up there. The chief narrative is performed by a mortuary employee who has worked there for 25 years.

One of the actors in the play, Zoe Shange, told Sowetan that acting in such a theatre and in front of a huge audience had been challenging and exciting.

"I am amazed by what the power of a good sound system and excellent lighting can do to enhance the quality of what the audience see and hear," Shange said. "This helps to get the message across.

"The story is told through powerful images, monologues and music."

The cast features Snelisiwe Radebe, Nomusa Mzobe, Zodwa Shange, Zinhle Mzobe, Nomkhosi Mkhwananzi, Thamsanqa Silindana, Thabani Gwala and Nomvulelo Myeza."

Durban film director and writer Edmand Mhlongo said people would be able to relate to the stories.

"There should be more plays about real issues," he said. "We sometimes tend to forget our own stories."