MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A local woman has secured a role in a radio drama, the first episode of which is being broadcast today, 20 September, at 10:00.
Mossel Bay's Frances Frans (63) plays the grandmother in the drama on Radio Suidkus/South Coast, which is broadcast from Durban, but streamed online, so anyone can access it.
Book
The drama is based on the book, Die Bottelier van Bothasberg, written by Sarita Pieterse, a 55-year-old Northern Cape farmer's wife, whose writing came to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Radio Suidkus drama is touted as having some of the best voice artists in South Africa.
Frans had a small role as a vague, ditsy fortune teller in the Ouma Sarie series on e.tv, which earned the title of best Afrikaans television comedy.
Remarkable
What makes Frans' landing the role in Die Bottelier van Bothasberg radio drama remarkable is that she secured it when there was a nationwide search on Facebook for voice artists for the drama.
There are only about eight characters in the production. Frans retired in 2019 after a 35-year teaching career.
Drama group
For 25 years she taught drama. She formed her own drama group, Eden Performing Arts Club (EPAC) in George.
Her last teaching post was at Olympia School of Skills in Pacaltsdorp, George.
It was a former learner in her class at Olympia, who recommended that Frans audition for the role in Ouma Sarie.
Now, in Mossel Bay, Frans is part of the JouNou Arts and Culture Foundation and also signed with Gemini Model and Talent Agency.
Read more about the radio drama here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/ufCGpQJBhFccEcRb/?mibextid=xfxF2i
Pacaltsdorp
Frans is originally from Pacaltsdorp and has lived in Mossel Bay since 2022.
She is an accomplished author, with several books in print.
She wrote three anthologies of dramatic plays for high school learners and two Christian drama books.
She has also written more Christian books: Die Vroue Alkoholis, Virrie Tiener in My Hood, Skeidsmure tussen my en God, 70 dankies van 'n vrou and Ek Moet Praat.
Teacher
Although she was a teacher by profession, Frans had always wanted to act, write and draw cartoons for a living.
After her teaching career, amazingly, she wrote all her books, except for the drama ones, in one year.
It is as if all her pent up creativity overflowed like a fountain.
"My passion for writing was ignited," she says.
Frans says that if she had written her books earlier in life, they would have been expressed from a selfish perspective and not be "about the Lord".
Bible verses
She points out that her books are interspersed with Bible verses and their relevance to people's lives and she gives Bible-based advice and guidance.
Ek moet praat is about the different scenarios a woman can go through, for example, from being infertile, to the suicide of her child, to divorce or being widowed.
Each scenario ends with a prayer. Some of these scenarios she has had to endure herself.
Trauma
She says: "The book is about how a woman can recover from different types of trauma and pain. Sometimes a woman can't express herself after major trauma, but the Lord blessed me with the ability to talk to that person and put her emotions in writing."
Frans studied teaching, first at the then Onderwys Kollege Suid-Kaapland in Oudtshoorn and later at Dower College of Education in Gqeberha.
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