Molosi and cast prepare for Maitisong Festival

With Donald Molosi’s play, Today Its Me headlining this year’s Maitisong festival, slated for the 25th of April, the multiple award winning actor and his cast members are working around the clock to give revelers a worth for their money. Time Out caught up with the busy Molosi to learn how he is preparing for the show which features Botswana’s crème de la crème of acting and an actor of international acclaim in Donn Swabby of Passions fame.

 
“I aim to always give people something different every time I perform and I want this play to be different from Blue, Black and White. So far I have managed to narrate the story through other people (the cast), something I have never tried before. The other day, the Assistant Director and I decided to perform the songs in the play as if they were my own and I have been practicing ever since to get them right. Even though Donn is not yet in the country we talk almost daily and rehearse his parts, but he is a seasoned actor who has mastered his craft and will fit snuggly into the play’s cast,” Molosi said.

 
He went on to say he has also decided to not have multiple roles in the play as initially planned. They have introduced a new cast member, Lebogang Motubudi, to take up the role of an Indian character called Nirav. “Initially I was supposed to have two roles and later decided to focus on one role by bringing Lebogang on board. Nirav is the second biggest role in the play and I decided to bring in Lebogang to take up that part because he is a seasoned and experienced actor. He will be narrating the story to the audience,” he said.

 
When asked why the issues raised in the play should be of interest to the audience Molosi said it touches on many issues, “This is especially important to me because one of the biggest obstacles that Lutaaya encounters is AIDS and I have personally lost many family members and friends to AIDS and so this is my chance to honor how they died. Also, the idea of an artist using their talents to make someone else’s life better is close to my heart because these days artists seem to have lost the plot about what an artist does. This show illustrates how popularity should not be a goal but a means to something bigger like service.”

 
He went on to say Botswana is at a critical point where if the condescending resistance against the use of the arts for education persists, we are doomed. “So this is why Batswana should care about this performance because Lutaaya’s story is a master-class in how art creates society and bolsters our shared values. People have been asking me to perform since I last performed as Sir Seretse Khama in Blue, Black and White, and so I am answering that request on my home soil.”

 
With this play Molosi aims to tell an authentic story, “And my definition of authentic story does not exclude making the audience laugh and cry. After all, that is what life is like, a mixture of smiles and cries and all emotions in between. I look forward to seeing the audience and speaking with them after the show on April 25th. We are excited.”