Q-JAM’s Hamlet in Jozi
Over the years, the Tsikinya-Chaka Centre has had the privilege of collaborating with both The Quickening Theatre Company and Johannesburg Awakening Minds: from JAM at the Windybrow to A Midsummer Ice Cream and (more recently) Shakespeare NonScenes, we’ve seen the magic that these dynamic performing artists can weave! So when we heard that they were teaming up on a new travelling production of Hamlet, we knew it would be something special.
JAM was founded in 2012 by veteran actress Dorothy Ann Gould. Since then, the ensemble has developed a broad repertoire of monologues and scenes, taking them to audiences across Johannesburg. The group is based at the Windybrow Arts Centre, and has moved beyond the somewhat simplistic “homeless Shakespeare” narrative through its accomplished performances.
Co-founders of The Quickening, Bianca Amato and Kensiwe Tshabalala, have performed on stages around the world. Last year they produced the award-winning Lungs and A Doll’s House, Part 2. After working regularly with the JAM actors since 2024, they are now in rehearsal for Hamlet. The production will tour to schools around Johannesburg next year.
Amato celebrates the JAM ensemble’s “sense of purpose, passion, and mad skills with the spoken word”, and affirms The Quickening’s dedication to “elevating these skills to a professional level”. The result is Q-JAM, a collaboration offering an enriching programme to schools and “performing Shakespeare through a human rights lens: Hamlet, set in Jozi, in the here and now, hugely relatable to students across the city.”
Having received a boost from the National Arts Council, Q-JAM is actively seeking additional funding to grow as a non-profit theatre organisation, to create employment opportunities for performing artists and to share their work with the youth of Johannesburg. You can donate via The Quickening’s website or through BackaBuddy to support this amazing project.
