Ballito’s Rising Stars

Ten-year-old Lexi is best known for her leading role in the Sony Pictures Classic, Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight. Adapted from Alexandra Fuller’s celebrated memoir, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight is a coming-of-age drama set during the final years of Rhodesia as the country transitions to Zimbabwe in the 1980s. The story unfolds through the perspective of eight-year-old Bobo, whose childhood is shaped by the violence of the Bush War.

Sitting down with Lexi, it's immediately clear she's a grounded, down-to-earth girl who’s an avid surfer, skateboarder, pianist and ballet dancer. Her favourite TV series is The Middle, and she also receives dialect coaching to perfect an American accent, an important skill for securing roles in Hollywood productions. Lexi now has a manager based in New York City, and when we interviewed her at the end of June, Lexi had just completed an audition for an American movie.
Lexi’s journey with Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight came about quite unplanned.
“We saw an advert on Facebook, and my mom and I thought, let’s give it a go,” Lexi says. After submitting a short audition video, Lexi got a callback for a three-hour audition with the casting director. Lexi was only seven years old at the time, but she nailed it.

Lexi learnt her lines quickly and, thanks to solid advice and encouragement from acclaimed director, Embeth Davidz, was able to act naturally and was comfortable in front of the camera. “Meeting and working with Embeth was a highlight for me. She reassured me that I won’t be judged if I make a mistake and that there’s always a second chance.” Although the film features several intense scenes, Lexi says she was never rattled because she understood the screaming, fighting and blood were all part of the performance.

In a cut-throat industry where failures often outnumber successes, Lexi is not only hard-working but also wise beyond her years. “I think you actually improve when you fail. It makes you work harder, and then when you do make it, success feels so good!”

While balancing homeschooling and movie auditions with no less than four extracurricular sports and cultural activities, Lexi somehow also finds time to advocate for wildlife. As an ambassador for Wildlife Rescue, she makes videos that teach kids about rescuing and protecting wildlife.

At the age of 17, MacKenzie is on the verge of making her Broadway dreams come true. As an aspiring musical theatre performer, her first major inspiration came from seeing the national tour of Matilda at the age of 10. “I fell in love with musical theatre. It’s a magical medium of storytelling,” she says, beaming with joy.

Musical theatre is a form of live performance that blends acting, dialogue, singing and dance to tell a story. They work together to develop the plot, reveal the characters’ emotions and create an engaging experience for the audience.

MacKenzie’s first major role came at the age of 14 when she appeared in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Durban Playhouse. The sung-through musical, based on the biblical story of Joseph, also saw MacKenzie serve as the understudy for the lead role of the Narrator. She also played the lead role of Mother Goose in A Fairytale Christmas last year at the Durban Playhouse Drama Theatre.

To master her craft, MacKenzie has, for the last six years, received training in various forms of dance, including ballet, contemporary, jazz and musical theatre dance at the Performing Arts Centre under Simon Mann. She also receives vocal training in classical singing and opera. As a lyric coloratura, MacKenzie has the unique ability to combine a rich, expressive vocal tone with remarkable agility. Her voice type has an extensive upper range and the ability to perform intricate passages, including rapid runs, trills and wide leaps, while maintaining a warm, full-bodied sound.

MacKenzie’s immediate goal is to study musical theatre in the US. Two universities have already accepted her, and she is awaiting a decision from a third, one of the country’s most prestigious institutions. Afterwards, she hopes to perform on Broadway and in regional theatre, where she wants to learn from the industry’s renowned discipline and work ethic before bringing it back to South Africa to help grow the local musical theatre scene.

“I am passionate about finding and developing young talent. That’s why I started teaching vocal training at Cherry Blossom Music in Ballito,” she says. She also wants to direct children’s theatre productions such as Oliver or Annie – whether on home soil or abroad. Her advice to aspiring young performers is simple: dream big, work hard and stay humble.