They came in their numbers to sing, dance, act and strut their stuff, hoping for an opportunity to become one of 20 to participate in an international talent show in Miami next year.
Around 100 East Londoners heeded Tanielle Ladwig’s call and came to audition for the event in Florida in July. “I’m looking for 20 people from across the country.
“Those who make the cut should be able to travel on those dates and should be able to pay for airfare and accommodation,” Ladwig said.
As the owner of DMH (Diverse Management House) Talent Agency, which represents ITS Miami in South Africa, Ladwig, a former Stirling pupil, brought the auditions to the city as part of a national talent scouting tour.
She is looking for models, singers, actors and dancers to expose to international talent scouts at the six-day convention taking place in Florida, Miami.
At the convention, they stand a chance to audition for the likes of ABC studio producers, representatives from Tyler Perry Studios and Wilhelmina Model Agency scouts.
From morning to evening Home to Home Guest House in Vincent, East London, was buzzing with excitement as hopefuls waited their turn to show what they could do.
They auditioned before a panel of four, which included Ladwig and three other judges who have experience in the various industries.
After the auditions, which Ladwig said took the greater part of the day into the night, a shortlist of 20 was compiled.
They were given call-backs on Sunday where the entire process was explained.
They will be up against 60 others who will audition in the coming weeks as Ladwig visits Port Elizabeth this weekend, then Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on Monday, Ladwig said she had been blown away by the talent East London had to offer.
“The talent we called back are absolutely exceptional. I’m quite excited by the people we saw,” Ladwig said. “We got people who are as diverse as possible because we want the international scouts to be free to pick from as wide a range as possible.
“We chose people who have the looks but who will also be able to either model, act or dance provided they are given the correct training.
“I must say that I was completely blown away by the talent I saw in East London.
“What I saw was so good that I’m considering setting up an agency in the city so clients can audition from their hometown.”
Nerves got the better of many contestants on the day. From forgotten lines to broken phones, many ended up either improvising or flipping to Plan B mid-flow.
Legal secretary Nomawethu Mkhabele, 24, said singing and acting had always been her dream despite the direction her career had taken. The University of Fort Hare student said despite her initial nerves, she hoped the judges had been blown away.
“Singing is my first love but I think my nerves got the better of me. It’s not like something bad happened but basically having people look at you – you end up wishing that even if a fly could disturb them for just a second. I guess you end up feeling like you’re under scrutiny.
“I also acted, although it was short. I forgot my script so I had to improvise.
“I think I did well in my singing auditions but I was nervous. I just hope they didn’t see that.”
Aqondile Mfaxa from Clarendon High School, 17, blew the judges away with a poetry piece titled Latent Rapists by Ntozakhe Shange taken from the movie For Colored Girls.
Silence engulfed the room as Mfaxa, dressed in a dressing gown and sitting on a chair, recited: “A friend is hard to press charges against. If you know him you must have wanted it.
“A misunderstanding. You know these things happen. Are you sure you didn’t suggest?
“Had you been drinking? A rapist is always to be a stranger to be legitimate, someone you never saw, a man with obvious problems. Pin-ups attached to the insides of his lapels. Ticket stubs from porno flicks in his pocket...”
Following her performance, Mfaxa said she had hopes of one day acting on a Broadway stage.
“I take drama as a subject and I love the arts, even though I’m not good at all aspects. I love acting.
“I can’t explain it but it’s just the love that I have for performing.
“When you perform, you change and you forget everything.
“I chose that piece because I’m into deep stuff. My friends describe me as someone who’s deep, so when I choose a piece I go for the deep, meaningful pieces. The emotions that women expressed in that movie really moved me, so that’s why I chose that piece.”
Cambridge Primary School pupil Angela du Plessis, 13, modelled, danced and acted.
She said: “Well, I figured it was worth giving everything a chance because you don’t really know what you’re good at until you’ve tried like everything. I’ve done modelling before but I had to stop because of transport problems although I’m thinking of starting it again at the beginning of next year to get a clean start to try again.
“If I get a call-back in any of the three performances I did today I’m going to jump at the opportunity.
“I like dancing, but I’m really just a dramatic person. Modelling is mostly a hobby.”
Ladwig has modelled on both local and international runways, and said she had included East London on her list because, being a former resident, she knew the limited opportunities the city presented.
Ladwig – who currently places clients in TV ads, theatre productions, catalogue shoots and fashion shows – said she had a 100% success rate at this year’s showcase in the US.
“All of our artists got signed. We have one, Basize Mashabane, returning to the New York Film Academy next year to study there and another, Gabriella Pillhofer, will also be doing the summer camp.
“So it’s our winter but it’s their summer. He got a full scholarship but they gave her a discounted rate because they couldn’t give her a scholarship.The convention itself is fast-paced, it’s absolutely jam-packed, not a holiday at all.
“From the time that we arrive to the time that we leave it’s all work, work, work. You are up at 8am and only get to bed at 10pm but then you have to get ready for the next day.
“It’s probably the most intense, emotional rollercoaster that anyone can ever go through in that amount of time.
“To the artists, I can say that I can get you there, but I can never guarantee call-backs. You can participate in everything but not get a single call-back. It just depends on what the market is doing and what the clients are looking for.”
Ladwig said the final call-backs for the convention would be in the first week of November. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
20 tickets for stairway to stardom
Around 100 East Londoners heeded Tanielle Ladwig’s call and came to audition for the event in Florida in July. “I’m looking for 20 people from across the country.
“Those who make the cut should be able to travel on those dates and should be able to pay for airfare and accommodation,” Ladwig said.
As the owner of DMH (Diverse Management House) Talent Agency, which represents ITS Miami in South Africa, Ladwig, a former Stirling pupil, brought the auditions to the city as part of a national talent scouting tour.
She is looking for models, singers, actors and dancers to expose to international talent scouts at the six-day convention taking place in Florida, Miami.
At the convention, they stand a chance to audition for the likes of ABC studio producers, representatives from Tyler Perry Studios and Wilhelmina Model Agency scouts.
From morning to evening Home to Home Guest House in Vincent, East London, was buzzing with excitement as hopefuls waited their turn to show what they could do.
They auditioned before a panel of four, which included Ladwig and three other judges who have experience in the various industries.
After the auditions, which Ladwig said took the greater part of the day into the night, a shortlist of 20 was compiled.
They were given call-backs on Sunday where the entire process was explained.
They will be up against 60 others who will audition in the coming weeks as Ladwig visits Port Elizabeth this weekend, then Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on Monday, Ladwig said she had been blown away by the talent East London had to offer.
“The talent we called back are absolutely exceptional. I’m quite excited by the people we saw,” Ladwig said. “We got people who are as diverse as possible because we want the international scouts to be free to pick from as wide a range as possible.
“We chose people who have the looks but who will also be able to either model, act or dance provided they are given the correct training.
“I must say that I was completely blown away by the talent I saw in East London.
“What I saw was so good that I’m considering setting up an agency in the city so clients can audition from their hometown.”
Nerves got the better of many contestants on the day. From forgotten lines to broken phones, many ended up either improvising or flipping to Plan B mid-flow.
Legal secretary Nomawethu Mkhabele, 24, said singing and acting had always been her dream despite the direction her career had taken. The University of Fort Hare student said despite her initial nerves, she hoped the judges had been blown away.
“Singing is my first love but I think my nerves got the better of me. It’s not like something bad happened but basically having people look at you – you end up wishing that even if a fly could disturb them for just a second. I guess you end up feeling like you’re under scrutiny.
“I also acted, although it was short. I forgot my script so I had to improvise.
“I think I did well in my singing auditions but I was nervous. I just hope they didn’t see that.”
Aqondile Mfaxa from Clarendon High School, 17, blew the judges away with a poetry piece titled Latent Rapists by Ntozakhe Shange taken from the movie For Colored Girls.
Silence engulfed the room as Mfaxa, dressed in a dressing gown and sitting on a chair, recited: “A friend is hard to press charges against. If you know him you must have wanted it.
“A misunderstanding. You know these things happen. Are you sure you didn’t suggest?
“Had you been drinking? A rapist is always to be a stranger to be legitimate, someone you never saw, a man with obvious problems. Pin-ups attached to the insides of his lapels. Ticket stubs from porno flicks in his pocket...”
Following her performance, Mfaxa said she had hopes of one day acting on a Broadway stage.
“I take drama as a subject and I love the arts, even though I’m not good at all aspects. I love acting.
“I can’t explain it but it’s just the love that I have for performing.
“When you perform, you change and you forget everything.
“I chose that piece because I’m into deep stuff. My friends describe me as someone who’s deep, so when I choose a piece I go for the deep, meaningful pieces. The emotions that women expressed in that movie really moved me, so that’s why I chose that piece.”
Cambridge Primary School pupil Angela du Plessis, 13, modelled, danced and acted.
She said: “Well, I figured it was worth giving everything a chance because you don’t really know what you’re good at until you’ve tried like everything. I’ve done modelling before but I had to stop because of transport problems although I’m thinking of starting it again at the beginning of next year to get a clean start to try again.
“If I get a call-back in any of the three performances I did today I’m going to jump at the opportunity.
“I like dancing, but I’m really just a dramatic person. Modelling is mostly a hobby.”
Ladwig has modelled on both local and international runways, and said she had included East London on her list because, being a former resident, she knew the limited opportunities the city presented.
Ladwig – who currently places clients in TV ads, theatre productions, catalogue shoots and fashion shows – said she had a 100% success rate at this year’s showcase in the US.
“All of our artists got signed. We have one, Basize Mashabane, returning to the New York Film Academy next year to study there and another, Gabriella Pillhofer, will also be doing the summer camp.
“So it’s our winter but it’s their summer. He got a full scholarship but they gave her a discounted rate because they couldn’t give her a scholarship.The convention itself is fast-paced, it’s absolutely jam-packed, not a holiday at all.
“From the time that we arrive to the time that we leave it’s all work, work, work. You are up at 8am and only get to bed at 10pm but then you have to get ready for the next day.
“It’s probably the most intense, emotional rollercoaster that anyone can ever go through in that amount of time.
“To the artists, I can say that I can get you there, but I can never guarantee call-backs. You can participate in everything but not get a single call-back. It just depends on what the market is doing and what the clients are looking for.”
Ladwig said the final call-backs for the convention would be in the first week of November. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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