Marlene le Roux is responsible for Artscape’s programme for schools, as well as for giving support and opportunities to new arts companies and new artists. Trained as a singer, she moved into a career as a music teacher and later became a subject advisor at
the department of education.
“I use arts as a vehicle to bring people together,” she says. She is currently writing a book on the “heroes” of Mitchells Plain, a mostly coloured township created by the Group Areas Act in Cape Town. “During apartheid, geographical areas were created for people. But who are the heroes of these areas? I am looking at Mitchells Plain, the Boland, and Khayelitsha.” Le Roux also serves on the cultural, religious and linguistic rights commission.
In August 2011, she will be running Equal Justice, a festival of women’s theatre that will include “productions that speak to audiences about the challenges women face in this day
and age”.
She feels that although women are being taken seriously in the theatre world and making progress in general, “as a nation we need to make sure our women are educated and can make informed decisions”. But she says her sector faces a major issue with a lack of funding. “Arts are not yet a priority,” she says.
She loves every day of her job, mixing arts with community development work. “I can give opportunities to other people, and not put myself on stage,” she says. “When you make the decision to give, you have to give.”
— Ilham Rawoot
