On Saturday October 15, the MTV TV series Shuga had its Jo'bug auditions in Bassline, Newtown. The queue outside Bassline went on and on. The sun was scorching hot but the energy was tangible in the atmosphere and the hopefuls were determined to audition no matter what.
Tonight spoke to South African actress Mohau Cele who plays the role of “Bongi” in the series. “I think the lovely thing about Shuga is that the cast is easy to relate to. “
I am not a particularly famous person, therefore I am not totally unrelatable to the person I am trying to talk to through my character, she said.
She said that the people that were bracing the hot weather to come and audition must just be themselves, as that is the best way to show producers that you will be able to take on any character you get.
The actress also spoke of MTV Shuga being more than 'just a show' but more of a campaign, reflecting real time progress against HIV/AIDS in South Africa and also addressing current situations.
Out here hustling. 🇿🇦 #MTVShuga5 #MTVShuga5 #HIVfreeGeneration #condomise #zeroStigma #AIDSmustFall pic.twitter.com/oO9oVFUTC2
— April Smangele (@april_smangele) October 17, 2016
MTV Shuga producers were looking to cast fresh home-grown talent to fill a range of male and female roles in the award-winning drama series - as well as a number of principal roles, four minor roles will be chosen through online and on-the-ground auditions.
“We are looking for real, raw talent that is going to help bring the MTV Shuga drama series alive for South Africa audiences,” said Georgia Arnold, Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation.
“MTV Base is delighted to offer this empowering opportunity for South African actors and actresses to be involved in this high quality drama series that will resonate and make an impact with youth audiences around the globe.” added Monde Twala, Vice President, BET, Youth & Music, VIMN Africa.
To be eligible to audition, the hopefuls needed to be South African residents between the ages of 18 and 35, with good spoken English and a clean criminal record.
No previous acting experience was necessary and perhaps that is one of the reasons why the turn out was 'amazing'.
It was not all bed and roses though as the production team had to cut the long queues and they closed the gate.
After long hours in the sun, some people did not get a chance to audition and the reaction was not pretty.
IOL