Theatre Director

South Africa is populated with some amazingly talented people, such as 23-year-old Quintin Wils, a theatre director with a rich and intelligent portfolio already behind him.

His work is fresh and exciting and it resonates with South Africans of all ages and cultures. He was only 16 when he realised that telling stories was important to him and that theatre was the path he wanted to follow.

“Theatre challenges me more than film as a director,” Wils says. “In film you can edit if something didn’t work, but in theatre you only have the here and now to edit and change things. As a director in theatre you need to stay creative and find interesting ways to tell the stories you want so you keep the audience interested.”

Wils studied Drama at the Tshwane University of Technology and did his licentiate in speech and drama at the South African Drama Guild in 2011, he directed the play SPEELPARK which won no less than 25 awards and kickstarted 2014 by directing three productions for the 2014 Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

“Young South Africans need to write and make their own history for people to talk, debate and learn from,” says Wils.

“You need to develop your own voice and stand up to situations you don’t agree with. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can be an individual and compete with anyone if you believe in yourself.”

Wils believes that the current generation can support and inspire the next through telling the stories they want to tell and showing that hard work and self-confidence are keys to success.

“My parents always told me that if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough and I’ve chosen to live and create work according to this motto,” concludes Wils. — Tamsin Oxford

Twitter: @QuintinWils Website: quintinwils.wordpress.com Facebook: Quintin Wils