From Uitsig to Broadway: the inspiring journey of Chesray Dolpha

IOL News

a day ago

Chesray Dolpha
Image: Supplied
From the stoep of her grandmother's home in Uitsig to the bright lights of Broadway, Chesray Dolpha's journey is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling. The 42-year-old Tony Award-winning theatre director, who now calls New York City home, has built a career bridging continents, cultures, and causes — all through the power of performance.
Dolpha grew up in a Pentecostal church her great grandfather founded, where 'you could count on dancing, shouting, visions and speaking in tongues.'
She recalled how church felt like 'a version of theatre,' with the pageantry of her grandmother's and mother's church outfits, complete with matching hats and bags, serving as her first theatre experience.
Her grandmother, considered a trusted neighbourhood counsellor in Uitsig, was often visited by community members.
These visits to her grandmother's stoep or couch would also later shape a narrative and become her first introduction to storytelling.
'The people in Uitsig are natural storytellers with a mastery of expressing a massive range of the human experience and they were my introduction to storytelling.'
Dolpha's mother was also a major influence. Despite a slight stutter and having to leave school early to support the family, Dolpha describes her as one of the best storytellers she knows.
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'She was a feminist before her time because she knew a simple truth: that her existence, and by extension her story, mattered.'
Her schooling began at Uitsig Primary before moving to Dr Van Der Ross Primary in Belhar, and later Symphony Secondary School. It was here that her love of literature blossomed, while her first real experience of theatre came when her school visited the Artscape.
From there Dolpha's dream started realising when she moved to New York City, made possible by the Oprah Winfrey Foundation's African Women's Public Service Fellowship at NYU Wagner.
'This highly competitive fellowship is awarded to only one or two women across the entire African continent each year. I was honoured to be named the 2009 Oprah Fellow.'
As Resident Director of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Dolpha found a deeply personal connection. 'Like Tina Turner, my mother, sister, and I are survivors of domestic violence. My mother made the courageous decision to leave my father, who was struggling with an addiction to Mandrax.
'When I interviewed for this job, I told Phyllida Lloyd, my boss, that I saw my mother's strength and resilience reflected in Tina. A woman who chose to reinvent herself, refusing to be defined by what went wrong and instead focused on what made her truly special.'
Her approach to directing is rooted in empathy and respect. 'My directorial approach was deeply rooted in centering the humanity of the actors and creating a space where their stories and emotions could be fully honoured and expressed.'
Beyond theatre, Dolpha's consultancy, StoryBridge, uses storytelling as a tool for social change.
Chesray Dolpha showed that there is power in believing
Image: Supplied
'When we share stories from people with marginalized experiences, we reaffirm that we will not be silenced — that our stories, from Belhar, Uitsig to Mitchells Plain and all the way to New York City, truly matter. Storytelling creates a world where the characters on stage look like us, sound like us, and live our realities. I don't believe I'm here to help people find their voice — they already have it.
'My work is about centering those stories and creating storytelling experiences that allow a wider audience to see and understand the brilliance of truthful storytelling — where joy has the opportunity to be centered and not just our trauma. It's about honoring the legacies of our grandmothers, mothers, and aunties, who have powerful things to say and refuse to be relegated into the shadows. In fact, it's about demanding a spotlight that honors our full humanity—one that holds space for both our strength and our joy.'
In leadership roles with the Broadway Advocacy Coalition and the Classical Theatre of Harlem, Dolpha stresses the importance of belonging.
Looking ahead, she is excited about the StoryBridge x The Playwrights Incubator in Cape Town, which aims to elevate black and queer voices.