A 17-year-old Loevenstein girl is in the running to win a prestigious scholarship that could help her realise her dreams of becoming an actress.
Tamzin Williams, a matric pupil at The Settlers High School, is one of six finalists in the 8th annual Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) Scholarship Programme and is one step closer to claiming a share of the R800 000 scholarship prize.
Tamzin’s drama teacher encouraged her to enter the competition.
“I was aware of the competition and knew of previous pupils at the school who had won scholarships.
“This scholarship would definitely help to lessen the financial burden on my parents and it’s a step closer to reaching my dream of becoming an actor,” Tamzin says.
Tamzin has done drama as a subject since Grade 10, but she admits that the movement piece she had to perform for the contest was a challenge for her.
“This piece requires actors to tell a story through movement without using any words.
“I had to ask a friend to help me with this and worked hard to perfect this piece.”
Fortunately for Tamzin the first phase of the competition took place during the June holidays, just after the exams and she was able to use this time to work on her performance pieces.
She believes her acting and singing talent, together with her confidence, helped her catch ACT’s attention.
“I feel overwhelmed yet humbled and blessed that I was chosen to be one of the finalists.
“It just proves that hard work pays off when you set your mind to it.”
ACT is an independent arts funding and development agency that supports all expressions of arts and culture, including literature, music, visual art, theatre and dance.
ACT CEO Pieter Jacobs says of the six finalists: “It takes a rare combination of natural talent, potential for growth, charisma, and a bit of magic that leads to a candidate being selected as one of six finalists from among 300 participants.
“It’s going to be a very tough final round and we are excited to host these exceptional young performers and see them battle it out on stage.”
Tamzin has been involved in the performing arts since a young age and started off by taking ballet, later puppetry and then drama.
She moved from Fairbairn College to The Settlers High School at the end of Grade 9 because she wanted to take drama as a subject.
“From Grade 9, I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue as a career choice. While I do focus and work hard on my academic side, I can’t picture myself being stuck in an office,” says Tamzin.
Even though she would love to win the scholarship, Tamzin has applied to study at UCT and Stellenbosch University and hopes to obtain her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance.
Tamzin, the youngest of two sisters, says her parents have been very supportive of her dreams.
“In South Africa the theatre is often used as a platform to address political issues but also used for entertainment.
“I would love to write plays on our country but focusing on where we should be heading and trying to change mindsets.”