2017-08-11Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Windhoek-The International Talent Showcase Convention (ITS) in Miami, USA, has judged a young Namibian actress of the Committed Artists of Namibia (CAN) theatre group as Best Actress. Zenlia Philander (20) won two trophies during a very competitive six-day event held at the Boca Raton Lodge outside Miami. Philander won the Best Overall and Teen as well as Adults Best Female Actor awards. Participants from eight countries around the world, including the USA, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, Jamaica, Namibia, the Bahamas and Haiti took part in the six-day event, which they have staged for the past nine years. Many top American art industry agents, managers, film and theatre casting directors attended the event as judges and talent scouts. Philander, a junior CAN-actress, also successfully auditioned for a scholarship at the New York Film School with an excerpt from the play, ‘The Porridge Queen’. She featured in the play last month during CAN’s regional educational tour in the country. The actress received five film, model and theatre call-backs for her to consider for next year. Zenlia first acted in the Athol Fugard play, ‘Valley Song’, for CAN when she was 15-years-old. She is currently studying for a 4-year BA degree in Theatre Performing Arts at the Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Canada. Her mother, actress Felicity Celento, who accompanied Zenlia as a chaperone on the trip, says it was money well spent as an investment in her daughter to widen her creative horizons on all international creative levels. To aid Zenlia’s studies abroad, CAN will also stage a theatre performance at the Franco-Namibia Cultural Centre (FNCC) on September 2. The Porridge Queen will also go on tour to eight other regions in the country in September. Financial support from FNB Holdings has made this second leg of the tour from September 11 to 15 possible. 2017-08-11Staff Report 2