22 May 2024

A Motswana playwright, producer and actor, Donald Molosi, has been awarded the Dilling Yang and Robert Potter prize of more than P1.6m ($120 000) for his contribution to global post-colonial theatre.

Molosi is the author of ‘We Are All Blue’ a collection of Botswana theatre plays. He has been in the industry for 20 years.

“It feels great to be acknowledged for my contributions to global theatre and to Broadway, I am thankful,” said Molosi in an interview. His career on Broadway span a good 15 years as an actor, and every play he wrote and directed after those 15 years has been a critical love letter to Botswana history.

“My work has succeeded as literature which is why my plays are taught in American universities,” he said.

A first Broadway actor from Botswana, Molosi who retired from an award-winning Broadway acting career in 2022 to lead Cattle Post Films, based in the UK, said the prize money would up his morale for future projects and that he felt encouraged to do more, for the development of theatrical practice.

The prize will be bestowed upon him next month at University of California, United States of America. The Dilling Yang and Robert Potter prize is awarded for continuing excellent work of exceptional enthusiasm and talent playwriting. It highlights Molosi’s extensive theatre catalogue as a result of his career on Broadway.

Born in Mahalapye 38 years ago, Molosi has produced Broadway hits as “Blue, Black and White (2007)”, a play about the life, romance and legacy of Sir Seretse and Lady Ruth Khama, “Black Man Samurai,”(2017) “and “Dear Zibanani”(2013) all of which won numerous awards. The Blue, Black and White became a common de-facto for the Botswana flag since the release of the play. 

He has also starred in “A United Kingdom”, a two hour long biopic Hollywood telling of the story of Lady Ruth and Sir Seretse Khama; alongside Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike and Emmy winner David Oyelowo.

His latest credits are for the screen play ‘Partly, Cloudy and Hot’ starring model Kaone Kario as well as South Africa’s award winning Zenzo Ngqobe.

However, he is still influenced by theatre in his writings. He has also adapted his stage play ‘Motswana: Africa, Dream Again’ which won the 2013 Sanford Prize for Excellence in Theatre, to medium film.

According to a statement from Dilling Yang and Robert Potter, the prize will assist Molosi produce more professional theater that tells the world of Africa and ‘specifically, of Botswana, a homeland that is close to the itinerant playwright’s heart.’

Cattle Post Films is currently producing MOITOBO, an upcoming feature film starring an international cast of Tamara Astor of UK, Molibi Maphanyane of Botswana and Jolanda Steiner of Switzerland. 

MOITOBO is an adaptation of Molosi’s off-Broadway play called “Black Man Samurai.” ENDS