A Tribute to the talent of Steven Ward
- Nov 16, 2015
- 3 min read
I sat down with Moira Mirtle to discuss the extraordinary talent that is Steven John Ward and was so surprised with this special human, that I need to explain the background of this amazingly kind woman.
Moira, her husband, and 2 daughters arrived as a family in South Africa 13 years ago with a suitcase and a dream. She managed to get work at a school and then was asked to enter Mrs South Africa when she took her girls to do a grooming course.
She made regional finalist and part of the criteria was to do charity work in the community. This opened doors, and her eyes, as she loved helping people in need. She found that from there she got into further work by starting a Trust aimed at Corporate Social Responsibility. Moira eventually developed the outreach arm of a school in Pretoria to become the largest outreach school in Gauteng. At this stage she was marketing manager of a private school and she based her ideas for Meaningful Minutes on this experience.
She started the business in 2015, and takes students to charitable organisations as part of their community service hours and teaches them all about those less fortunate in their community. She hopes to open the door to a thought pattern of ‘paying it forward’ and always considering a form of giving back to your community by understanding that there are many people living with so little just in your neighbourhood. She believes it also teaches an ‘attitude of gratitude’ and in some way the advantaged students gain more from these events, than those with nothing. She would like this to evolve into CSR for companies next year and hopes to make a big difference by continuing to make each minute meaningful.
Find “Meaningful Minutes” here: https://www.facebook.com/Meaningfulminutes/
Moira’s connection with Steven happened on a day when she took her daughter, Storm, to Irene for an audition to get her into a stage production held at the Pretoria Youth Theatre. Storm was given the wonderful opportunity to star in her first show, with Steven, and a beautiful friendship was born.
She says “The one thing I have learnt is that no matter who the members of a crew are in a show: you become family. I see such camaraderie and connection plus a respect for each other and I feel that Pretoria Youth Theatre nurtured this by ensuring all members of the show to work together from the ground up…literally! Thus cleaning of the floor and laying out of cushions etc. The cast work as a family unit”.
“Where to start without using the most impactful words in the English Dictionary… in actual fact, impactful is one of the words I would use to describe Steven John Ward”.
She goes on to say, “Whenever she would visit a show that has the honour of casting this amazing young man into the Company, you are left with lasting impressions. The way Steven gets into his character is a true talent, and I have seen him metaphorically wearing many hats”.
He could go from a Dame to a Prince and then an Evil Witch, in a brief moment. These are just a few roles he played in his short, but experienced career on the stage. “After seeing Steven in his first show, I described Steven as an Actor who can command the audience, the moment he arrives on the stage. His gift is so masterful that you are captivated as he weaves his magical web, by sheer exceptional ability.”
“Bookings would depend on whether or not Steven John Ward was starring in the show, which definitely says a lot about his popularity. And lastly, I would like to say that he inspired those around him, into the industry, as he makes it look so easy….but to have a crowd eating out of your hand is not a gift everyone holds”
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