by Thinus Ferreira
Although not a full "crossover" in the strict definition of the word, two characters from SABC1's Skeem Saam series will appear in SABC2's 7de Laan from tonight for three episodes when Kat and Kwaito pop up in the Hillside community.
In the American "crossover" TV tradition, characters from two or more shows of the same broadcaster, appear in each other's episodes with their appearances that are used to tell an ongoing story that stretches chronologically from the one show's episode to the other show's episode, thereby bringing viewers along to sample new programming that they might not have been watching.
Tonight, as well as on Thursday 21 April, and again on Monday 26 April, two characters from SABC1's Skeem Saam world will appear on SABC2's 7de Laan world - in real life just a short walk from Studio 8 to another stage door since Skeem Saam and 7de Laan both film on the same Sasani Studios lot in Highlands North in Johannesburg.
While no characters from 7de Laan will be appearing in Skeem Saam, Patrick Seleka known as "Kat" and Clement Maosa known as "Kwaito" pop up in a comedic storyline involving Ivy (Nazli George) and Blyde (Blyde Smit).
What happens is that a production company is filming
scenes in the Beleef restaurant in Hillside, and Ivy and Blyde both vie for the director's attention to be extras, to the extent that they overstep their
role.
"It was a
wonderful experience working with Clement and Patrick, they are professional in
every sense, says," says Nazli George. "In my 30-year career span in the arts, I find it a refreshing approach
for soapies such as ours to allow actors to transition as such. I wouldn’t mind
seeing it more frequently."
Blyde Smit, says Patrick and Clement "brought so much energy
to the set. A crossover like this presented me with various challenges such as
keeping true to my character whilst transitioning into another show that has a
completely different feel to it".
About working on the 7de Laan set, Patrick Seleka says that "The actors were welcoming and the
crew was also cool".
"They made me feel free and that helped me to adapt which
made me relax. It was also amazing to see the actors who used to be on set now
being the director. It also showed me that one doesn't need to limit
themselves.".
"You can become whatever you want to be other than being just an
actor. Combining shows is a great idea as this helps the viewers understand
that shows can work together to create a bigger picture or world so to say. I
really enjoyed working with the team and I’d appreciate it if I got the
opportunity again."
