THE TEAM
WILLIAM KENTRIDGE | FOUNDER
WILLIAM KENTRIDGE is the founder of The Centre for the Less Good Idea and is internationally acclaimed for his drawings, films, theatre and opera productions.
His method combines drawing, writing, film, performance, music, theatre, and collaborative practices to create works of art that are grounded in politics, science, literature and history, yet maintaining a space for contradiction and uncertainty.
Kentridge’s work has been seen in museums and galleries around the world since the 1990s, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Musée du Louvre in Paris, Whitechapel Gallery in London, Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen, the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid, the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Zeitz MOCAA and the Norval Foundation in Cape Town and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Opera productions include Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Shostakovich’s The Nose, and Alban Berg’s operas Lulu and Wozzeck, and have been seen at opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, English National Opera in London, Opera de Lyon, Amsterdam opera, the Sydney Opera House and the Salzburg Festival.
Kentridge’s theatrical productions, performed in theatres and at festivals across the globe include Refuse the Hour, Winterreise, Paper Music, The Head & the Load, Ursonate, Sibyl and The Great Yes, The Great No and in collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company, Ubu & the Truth Commission, Faustus in Africa!, Il Ritorno d’Ulisse and Woyzeck on the Highveld.
In 2016 Kentridge co-founded, with Bronwyn Lace, The Centre for Less Good Idea in Johannesburg: a space for responsive thinking and making through experimental, collaborative and cross-disciplinary arts practices. The centre hosts an ongoing programme of workshops, public performances, and mentorship activities.
BRONWYN LACE | CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
BRONWYN LACE is a visual and performance artist and The Centre for the Less Good Idea’s co-founder and company director. Site-specificity, responsiveness, and performativity are central to her practice and have informed the last two decades of her work. Similarly, a balance between an isolated, introspective studio process and a collaborative, communal process sees Lace embracing incidental discoveries underpinned by an informed pursuit of new ideas.
Lace’s focus is on the collaborative relationships within the arts and between art and other fields, including physics, history, museology, philosophy and literature. Her studio and performative practice grapples with themes of transition, mortality, and finding a physical or material form for collapse, chaos, death and entropy. In 2020 Lace co-founded The ZoNE: a collective that calls for the development of an entirely novel transdisciplinary and deliberative approach to inquiry and curation across the arts and sciences and beyond based in Vienna, Austria.
At present, Lace’s position between South Africa and Austria also sees her working to establish relationships between The Centre and other spaces and institutions across the globe under The Centre Outside the Centre.
ATHENA MAZARAKIS | MOMENTEUR FOR SO | THE ACADEMY FOR THE LESS GOOD IDEA
ATHENA MAZARAKIS is a choreographer, performer and somatic arts educator. In her role as Momenteur, she gives momentum to the learning and educative activities of The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
In collaboration with The Centre team, Mazarakis curates and implements the extensive programming of SO | The Academy for the Less Good Idea. The Academy offers artists the opportunity to extend and grow their practice through unique mentorships, workshops, classes, incubations and collaborative engagements but also offers audiences insight into creative processes and artistic strategies through signature programmes such as HOW | Showing the Making, In Conversation and The Open Moment.
Mazarakis’ creative practice as a movement artist and choreographer is threaded together by her interest in the connection between memory and the body and the role of improvisation as a tool for excavating the body as archive. This interest was the key area of investigation in her Masters in Dramatic Arts. Her creative practice as a performer, choreographer and director has been acknowledged through multiple awards, including two Silver Standard Bank Ovation Awards, a KKNK Kanna Award for Most Prestigious Achievement in Dance Theatre and a Gauteng MEC Award for Most Outstanding Female Dancer.
As an arts educator Mazarakis has worked across a range of formal and informal learning spaces from her position as lecturer at Wits University to her role as Development Manager at The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative in Mpumalanga, where she was instrumental in establishing The Ebhudlweni Arts Centre and the My Body, My Space: Public Arts Festival.
NEO MUYANGA | IMPRESARIO FOR THE LESS GOOD IDEA
NEO MUYANGA is a composer, musician and installation artist and the Impresario for the Less Good Idea.
Muyanga’s practice straddles the spheres of performance and scholarship. His various works – comprising of opera, multimedia installation, performance lecture and studio recording – are informed by archival research and feature an ongoing investigation of voice as a vector that shapes society. Born in Soweto, Muyanga’s compositional style largely reflects his grounding in the South African choral tradition and also his research into the practice of the Italian Madrigal, Ethiopian Mezmur and the Shaabi musics of Egypt.
His recent productions include Sounding Pictures – a silent film-meets-live-sound series – and On Air – a live radio play series – both presented by The Centre for The Less Good Idea in Johannesburg (2024). Other notable projects include Spells Against Othering (2023, NL), a Mass of Cyborgs (2022-2023, USA), How Anansi freed the stories of the world (2021-2025, NL), A Maze in Grace (2020-2021, BR, UK) and MakedbA (2019, UAE, SA).
Muyanga was composer-in-residence at both the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, Johannesburg, and the National Arts Festival, Makhanda in 2017. He is an alumnus (2016) of the Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD, Berlin (GER). He was artist-in-residence jointly at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER) and the Humanities Research Institute of the University of California in Irvine during 2014 and a resident fellow at the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape in 2013.
DIMAKATSO MOTHOLO | HOLDER
DIMAKATSO MOTHOLO is the Holder at The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Born in the Free State and growing up in Johannesburg’s East Rand, Motholo’s early engagements with the arts came by way of performance when she motivated for the inclusion of drama lessons at her high school, subsequently seeing her form part of the first group of students to take drama as a formalised subject at the school. Following a degree in the dramatic arts specialising in arts management from the University of Witwatersrand, Motholo worked with a number of arts institutions and organisations with a keen interest in working from a place of advocacy and learning how the South African arts industry could function to serve the artist. Motholo has subsequently obtained her Masters in Cultural Policy and Management.
For Motholo, The Centre sees her occupying a hybrid position located between administration, production, and person-orientated work. Liaising with artists and production, overseeing the various physical spaces at The Centre, and working to ensure that processes run smoothly for production teams, curators, and collaborators alike are a few of the daily roles she occupies.
Being able to work in an experimental incubator space for the arts with a non-hierarchical and organically orientated system of people allows her to both inform and learn from the way the space is run, while her background in performance affords her greater insight into the nature of generating and producing creative work. Above all else, it is the inherent experimental and process-orientated nature of The Centre that resonates with Motholo’s own creative methodology – the act of learning and producing through doing.
NOAH COHEN | DIRECTOR OF CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDITOR
NOAH COHEN is a filmmaker, theatre-maker, actor, and the Director of Cinematography and Editing for The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
At The Centre, Cohen is interested in the challenge of documenting, guiding, and sharing the diverse and immense personal processes of the artists through the medium of film. The precarious act of documenting, distilling, and reflecting the creative process in a way that both informs and inspires The Centre’s artists and audiences is of great importance to him. While a level of proficiency and technical knowledge around filming for performances is key, Cohen’s alignment with the central ethos of The Centre informs his way of working in the space – engaging in an experimental and collaborative creative process, watching it fail and succeed in equally productive ways, and bearing witness to it all.
Similarly, his background in performance lends him a certain empathy for what takes place on stage and in The Centre’s workshops. The result of all of these ways of working sees Cohen filming and editing with a gentle, considered, and critical eye, always with the intention of working alongside the creative process, and archiving from the margins of that process.
BUKHOSIBAKHE KHOZA | CINEMATOGRAPHER & EDITOR
BUKHOSIBAKHE ‘PANTSULATOGRAPHER’ KHOZA is a performer, pantsula creative, and is the Cinematographer and Editor for The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Growing up in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, Khoza ventured into dance in 2011, experimenting with tap, gumboot, and contemporary pantsula for dance outfits and collectives such as Vusi Arts Projects (VAP). In 2019, Khoza performed with VAP at The Centre for the Less Good Idea in various iterations, one of them seeing him dancing in accompaniment to a performance lecture by founder of The Centre for the Less Good Idea, William Kentridge. It was here where Khoza met The Centre’s Director of Cinematography, Noah Cohen, expressed his interest in camera work, and has been working alongside Cohen since.
With a rootedness in dance and performance, Khoza is acutely aware of what takes place in the body of a performer on stage and it is this proximity to performance that lends him a keen and empathetic eye behind the camera. In addition to documenting and archiving the various creative processes that take shape at The Centre, Khoza is interested in harnessing the minutiae of performance through film – the slight gestures and facial expressions that might be lost on a live audience, but which can be harnessed and expanded upon through the documentary tool of the camera.
ZAIN VALLY | HEAD OF SOUND
ZAIN VALLY is a multidisciplinary sound engineer, location recorder, and the Head of Sound at The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Vally works extensively in the music industry and is an accredited recording engineer on Beyoncé’s album, The Lion King: The Gift. He also holds location recording credits for documentaries and television shows such as Stony Hill to Addis, Yo! MTV Raps Africa, and Gqom Nation.
Having gravitated toward music from a young age, Vally pursued a diploma in Audio Technology and Post-Production from the Academy of Sound Engineering in Auckland Park, Johannesburg. He worked for two years as a sound engineer for The Orbit Jazz Club and Bistro before joining The Centre.
More recently as part of The Centre Outside The Centre, Vally has been involved in The Great Yes, The Great No in Los Angeles and is the sound designer for African Exodus which has been performed in Berlin and New York.
ROSS CULVERWELL | SOUND ENGINEER
ROSS CULVERWELL is an artist and is a Sound Engineer at The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
With a diploma in fine art from Ruth Prowes School of Art in Cape Town, Culverwell has participated in various group exhibitions in Cape Town. He interned at Greatmore Art Studios in 2018 and in 2019, moved to Johannesburg, working part-time in the art industry assisting artists and galleries until learning live sound at The Centre for The Less Good Idea in late 2021.
He currently works alongside The Centre’s Head of Sound, Zain Vally, as a Sound Engineer and has run sound on various projects at The Centre, including HOW | Showing the Making, The Open Moment, and more.
DAVID MANN | WRITER & HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS
DAVID MANN is an award-winning author, editor and art critic, and works as the Writer and Head of Communications at The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
With a Masters in Creative Writing and having worked as a writer and editor for various South African art publications, Mann is interested in the role art can play in helping one make sense of the world, and one’s place in it. Specifically, it is in the act of writing alongside, rather than in response to, the artistic process that he finds a home for his practice. A background in journalism grounds his writing in a constant pursuit of certainty, while a keen interest in how text or language can perform outside of the conventional structures of writing and reading lends his work an incidental and experimental methodology.
Mann’s writing also takes the form of fiction, specifically short stories and narrative prose, often drawing from the undercurrents of the worlds of art and performance. In 2024, he published his debut collection of short stories Once Removed (Botsotso Publishing). That same year, he was awarded the Thomas Pringle Short Story Prize.
NTHABISENG MALAKA | SCENOGRAPHER & COSTUME DESIGNER
NTHABISENG MALAKA is The Centre for The Less Good Idea’s Scenographer and Costume Designer, and a theatre-maker who works across stage, film and television as a production designer, art director, set dresser, and props master.
Malaka has designed for numerous well-known South African theatre productions. Her first Naledi Theatre Award nomination for costume design was for the 2018 production of Shoes and Coups. In 2019, she was also nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award for her set design for Strange Land. Most recently, Malaka has worked as Costume Designer on Disney’s The Magic Box, and has been in residency at Sabine Theunissen’s Squatelier in Brussels.
For The Centre, Malaka has designed sets and costumes for Seasons 8 through to 10. Notable projects at The Centre include the 2020 production of Waiting for Godot. For Season 9, Malaka also created Goraa Goreng?, a project that incorporated scenography as installation.
JACQUELINE NDELU | ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR
JACQUELINE NDELU is a project manager, and the Assistant to the Director at The Centre for the Less Good Idea. Her diverse experience across both technical and creative industries has equipped her with strong problem-solving, logistical, and organisational skills.
At The Centre, Ndelu works closely with the Director, Bronwyn Lace, providing essential administrative and logistical support to ensure the seamless execution of artistic projects and programmes. Her role also involves liaising with local and internation stakeholders, ensuring that the Director’s vision—and by extension, the work of The Centre and The Centre Outside The Centre—unfolds effectively.
Born in Durban, Ndelu studied Mechanical Engineering but soon realised that the creative thinking and problem-solving skills she developed could be applied across various industries. With experience in engineering design, corporate governance, project management, logistics, and communication, she has worked with artists and global brands such as Adobe, bridging the gap between structured execution and creative spontaneity.
THEMBELIHLE HADEBE | ADMINISTRATOR
THEMBELIHLE HADEBE is the Administrator at The Centre for the Less Good Idea, bringing a dynamic blend of artistic passion and administrative expertise to the role. Her creative journey began in the vibrant township of Soweto, where she was born and bred and where her love for performance and storytelling first took root.
Starting as a performer and actor, Hadebe honed her craft in theatre, engaging audiences with compelling stage performances and dance. Her passion for storytelling led her to transition into film and television, where she pursued a formal qualification in Film and Television Production. This academic foundation equipped her with skills in producing, directing, and scriptwriting, which she has since applied across various creative projects.
Hadebe's acting career spans both stage and screen, including appearances in notable South African television series. Her experience includes performing a variety of roles, shaped by her background in theatre, and film, and her interest in exploring different art forms.
At The Centre, Hadebe is responsible for managing administrative tasks and supporting the coordination of programmes and activities. For her, The Centre is a vital space where bold, experimental ideas are nurtured, and artists are encouraged to take creative risks and engage in meaningful collaborations.
ZIVANAI MATANGI | PHOTOGRAPHER
ZIVANAI MATANGI is a documentary and performance photographer, and is the official Photographer for The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Family photographs sparked Matangi’s interest in the photographic medium from an early age and after arriving in Johannesburg from Zimbabwe, he began working in photo labs and camera stores, first as a printing assistant in the labs, and later managing and overseeing labs and stores.
These early interactions and experiences with commercial film photography have lent him a strong affinity toward the importance of a single image, what a photograph does, how it represents a moment or a person, and what the medium of photography means to the average person. It also lent him an intuitiveness that is still present in his practice today. His images have been published in local and international publications, including The New York Times.
Matangi works to document and interpret the myriad perspectives and processes at The Centre, working alongside videographers and writers to capture the workshops, rehearsals, and live performances as well as its individual performers, the technicians, production team-members, and all of the moments in between.
RUBY FRIEDMAN | TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
RUBY FRIEDMAN is the Technical Coordinator at The Centre for The Less Good Idea.
Born in Johannesburg and adopted at a young age, Friedman’s interest in the performing arts came from her adoptive family and the community that surrounded them. Attending numerous creative productions growing up combined with her learning piano and music theory all through high school, Friedman pursued a career as a Sound Engineer and in 2017 started work at SoulFire Studios as an assistant sound engineer to Gavan Eckhart. In that same year Eckhart introduced her to The Centre for The Less Good Idea where we worked on Season 1. Friedman subsequently worked on later Seasons and various workshops for William Kentridge and The Centre.
After studying a Diploma in Media Practices majoring in Television, Friedman returned to The Centre for Season 10 in 2023 as an Assistant Sound Engineer. She has subsequently been brought on as a Technical Coordinator for The Centre’s larger programmes including the Collation series of performances, curated by Neo Muyanga.
JESSICA SIBONGILE MATHE | STAGE MANAGER
JESSICA SIBONGILE MATHE is a performer, writer and is the Stage Manager at The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Mathe completed a Higher Certificate in Film Production from AFDA and a certificate in Theatre and Performance at The Market Theatre Laboratory. Her passion for storytelling drives her artistic pursuits.
Her interest in Stage Management was sparked by an opportunity from her lecturer, Teresa Phuthi Mojela, to manage her project Motlhana Kalana which was held at The Centre For The Less Good Idea in 2023.
GRACIOUS DUBE | HOUSEKEEPER & SPACE MANAGER
GRACIOUS DUBE is the Housekeeper & Space Manager for The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Originally from Zimbabwe, Dube moved to South Africa in 2007. Following a few years of work as a waitress in Norwood, as well as housekeeping work through Sunshine Girls, Dube was introduced to The Centre for the Less Good Idea by its co-director, Bronwyn Lace.
Over the years, Dube’s role at The Centre has continued to grow and take on more shape, expanding from upkeep and maintenance of The Centre space, to working alongside artists and assisting with the design and sourcing of costumes and props for artists and performances.
Dube enjoys the collaborative and cross-disciplinary nature of The Centre, as well as the various artists and modes of performance she’s encountered throughout her years in the space. For Dube, working at The Centre requires one to adapt to the needs of the space and its many moving parts. As such, an average day can range from general upkeep and the clearing of the stage and spaces, to assisting as a sounding board or a stagehand for early iterations of a performance.
BONGANI MPOFU | SPACE & EQUIPMENT MANAGER
BONGANI MPOFU is the Space & Equipment Manager at The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Having joined The Centre in 2019, Mpofu has worked in various capacities, including as a lighting technician and stage hand. As of 2024, he officially joined the team in the capacity of Space & Equipment Manager.
At The Centre, Mpofu works alongside the broader production team to ensure that all of The Centre’s performance, rehearsal and workshop spaces are operational and also oversees the various sound, lighting, stage, and videography equipment is in working order.
OCTAVIA SONYANE | VIDEO EDITOR & COMPOSITOR
OCTAVIA SONYANE is a filmmaker and editor, and is the video editor and compositor at The Centre for the Less Good Idea.
Raised in Orange Farm, a township in the South of Johannesburg, Sonyane got into film after she was invited to Film workshop that was hosted by Gauteng Film Commission and Naya Naya Pictures in 2016.
In 2017, she enrolled at Big Fish School of Digital Filming to pursue her filming career. Two of her student films were also selected to be part of the Encounters South African International Film Festival in 2019. After graduating in 2019-2021 she got an opportunity to work as a film field researcher for the University of Cape Town.
In 2021, she worked with William Kentridge studio as an assistant video editor and compositor. This also introduced her to a different style of editing and storytelling. At The Centre, Sonyane works as a video editor and compositor on the Pepper’s Ghost programme.
All photographs by Zivanai Matangi.