The MTV Staying Alive Foundation has announced the return of the multi-award-winning TV drama, “MTV Shuga Down South”. Back for a third season, auditions for the show are now open until November 21.
MTV Shuga is a 360-multimedia campaign centred on a fictional television drama informed by true life stories of South African youth.
The public auditions will provide an opportunity for aspiring South African talent to join the alumni of previous seasons, which includes global stars Lupita Nyong’o and Thuso Mbedu.
The last two seasons also opened up the industry for Samkelisiwe Makhoba, who featured in the first season of “MTV Shuga Down South”, and Malibongwe Mdwaba, who was cast in the second season of the show.
A press release sent to IOL Entertainment explained: “This third season is inspired by the formative research findings from the Centre for Aids Development Research and Evaluation (Cadre).
“In addition to comprehensive Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), accentuated messaging comprises of HIV prevention choices, including PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and the depivarim ring, substance abuse, mental health, tuberculosis, GBV and LGBTQIAP+.”
Tshireletso Yvonne Diogo, country director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, added: “’MTV Shuga’ is fictional, but the storylines are based on the real lives of young people.
“Through relatable characters we are able to signpost innovative health products and services, empowering our audiences to make informed choices about their sexual lives and overall well-being. All this is possible through our partnerships.”
The new season of “MTV Shuga Down South” will be produced by the award-winning local production house, Burnt Onion. Aspiring South African talent has the opportunity to join the line up of “MTV Shuga” through the online public auditions.
More information is available on @MTVShugaDownSouth on social media.
Read the latest issue of IOL Entertainment’s digital magazine here.