By Darren Gilbert

In a country where dreams are big but opportunities are few and far between, Amstel Lager has heard the call. Thousands of hopefuls will get a chance at fulfilling their dreams to become the next big thing in the South African film industry - and it gets better. For the first time, women will be given the chance to show off their pedigree in the auditions, making this a dynamic season.

Amstel Marketing Manager, Jan-Willem van Wensem, expressed his excitement about the upcoming season at the launch event in Cape Town, saying he was overjoyed at the success of the first season of Class Act. “Rather than engage in one-way advertising, we like to create a dialogue; two-way content with honest conversations that drive real positive change in our market.” And it seems Amstel Lager is intent on driving the message home: it can make a positive difference in the lives of South Africans.

An originally South African format, created by Donovan Marsh and billed as South Africa’s toughest audition, it’s a platform, in the words of Van Wensem, to “create a dream for those who want to succeed in the business.” Kenneth Nkosi, South African actor and presenter of Class Act, backed Van Wensem up by stating: “Class Act is a great opportunity for South Africans to get into the business. It’s difficult to just walk into the business, but with this show, you have the chance to make a name for yourself.”

The 2011 edition of Class Act will follow the same format as the first season, with mass practice sessions organised in taverns and community halls in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg, giving hopefuls a chance to perfect their craft before the real deal. 2010 winner, Sdumo Mtshali, praised the format, saying it was a necessity to help those contestants unsure of what to expect. “As a contestant, going to a practice session helped to calm the nerves. It’s an opportunity for hopefuls to understand what to expect in auditions.”

So, this is just the warm up ahead of the auditions, which promise to be grueling. They open in Cape Town on 5 March and go through to the cities of Durban on 12 March and Pretoria on 19 March, ending with an extended two-day audition session in Johannesburg on 2 and 3 April. From these auditions, with the help of talent scouts, a ‘top 10’ will be chosen out of the thousands of hopefuls, ensuring the tagline is on the money. In fact, this year it’s five men and five women, which means that 2011 will be the toughest film audition.

This will be followed by the elimination round, where the top 10 hopefuls will pit it out against each other in an energy-sapping competition. The chance to work with and be critiqued by South African legends in the film industry is also in the offing. In true reality television style, it’s not the judges who have the final say, but the public. Mtshali remembers the work he put in last year. “It’s going to be hard work, I’m not going to lie. If there is one thing I can say, I’d advise you to be yourself, because the public want to know who you are.”

A new adventure in reality television was launched with the first season. Now, Amstel Lager is looking forward to the second season, which promises to be bigger and bolder. Have you got what it takes to be a class act?