It’s often a tall order for actors to consistently find work and keep up appearing in different shows for decades.
But for Charmaine Mtinta, who has been lucky enough to have a career spanning decades, the sky is the limit. Mtinta has matured as an actress from the days of Yizo Yizo, where she played Nomsa, and there is no sign of slowing down.
The Gugulethu-born, Western Cape, stage and television actress had a sit-down with Sowetan while shooting Isono, a new drama series on BET. With her cool and calm approach, the award-winning actress speaks about her upcoming theatre show Xova, which recently won five awards at the Naledi Theatre Awards and her new role as Mam Lily in the drama series.
Directed by Joseph Komani, the play took Best Play, Best South African New Script, Best Director, Best Supporting Act and Best Costume/Prop Design.
The 48-year-old actress explains that Xova speaks about the hardships of raising a child as a single mother and growing up with an absent father. Ukuxova is a Xhosa word meaning to prepare dough for home-baked bread and in the show the term is used as a metaphor for the process of raising a child.
She explains that having a season at the Market Theatre, just after winning five awards, is a motivation for the team to put up an amazing show. Mtinta, who takes her time when answering questions, explains that theatre is a lot of hard work and she needs to be ready physically and mentally.
“I’m looking forward to the season at the Market Theatre because this is an international theatre. After a long break you know how theatre is, ndi lezy..(I’m lazy) and I have gained weight. I need to start walking to prepare for rehearsals. I am honoured that we have scooped many awards because every production that is staged deserves to be acknowledged.”
In the show that made its debut in 2017 during the Youth Expression Festival, Mtinta plays the role of Zukiswa, a very troubled mother who made bad choices in her life and is haunted by her own demons. She lives with her daughter, played by Zimkhita Nyoka, whom she is determined to protect from the outside world due to her own experiences.
“She (Zukiswa) does not want her child to go out because there are monsters out there. But underneath she is troubled because of her experiences she has faced that include abuse, poverty, being judged by the community for hiding the child and being a prostitute. She is afraid that the child will go through what she experienced in life. The child watches other kids through a window playing outside,” she explains.
As much as Mtinta believes that Xova is a simple and beautiful story to tell, she admits that it is a painful story that has a strong impact on the audience. She says the story works on one’s feelings to a point that after performances people come to her sobbing. Comparing it to her current role in Isono, Mtinta says that Mam Lily’s daily struggles are too different from Zukiswa's.
She explains that the role of Mam Lily, who runs House Of Grace, which was founded by the two-timing Mary Ndlovu (played by Nthati Moshesh), is that of a soft person.
“Mam Lily’s character has a big impact on other characters because of her motherly role she portrays. She comes from a dysfunctional family, but she is composed. She has her own issues like her useless abusive husband and her daughter. She protects her employer Mary and hides her secrets," she says.
Mtinta, who has acted on Generations, Isibaya, My Perfect Family, Tempy Pushas, Zibondiwe, Hope, and Igazi among others, explains that she had been praying for a theatre role for a while. At some point she was hungry for something that will challenge her because actors tend to rest on their laurels. For her, theatre ignites the hunger for acting.
Mtinta explains that she has survived this long in the industry full of ups and downs as well as dry spells because she is understanding and always stays humble.
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