Minute a Thought

Knowledge, tension, time and more are unpacked in the 11-minute epic Minute a Thought.

Conceptualised by Themba Dredz Mbuli and performed by himself and Princess Tshabangu, Minute a Thought is a dense and intriguing physical work. Tshabangu, dressed in a suit jacket, is tossing books into the alert hands of Mbuli, dressed in a custom harness of dangling books, and jumping from text to text across the stage. All the while, a clock is ticking away and a chiming bell marks the passing of each minute.

Through the deft performances of both Mbuli and Tshabangu we are made to understand the pressures of time, the precarity of learning, and the heavy burden of knowledge and heritage. Direction of the play by Themba Mkhoma sees all of these themes and more playing out brilliantly, each thought transitioning seamlessly into the next.

Throughout it all, there is a subtle sense of helplessness – a tired and collective exhalation that seems to put forward the question: But what will we do with all of this knowledge? Sometimes, posits Minute a Thought, the more we know, the heavier we become.  

CONCEPTUALISED BY | Themba Dredz Mbuli
DIRECTED BY | Themba Mkhoma
PERFORMED BY | Themba Dredz Mbuli | Princess Tshabangu

WRITER | Dave Mann
VIDEO ENGINEER & EDITOR | Noah Cohen
STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER | Nina Lieska