Everything you need to know about the 20th Suidoosterfees

The Suidoosterfees is an annual event of fun colour and vibrancy that celebrates local culture and heritage.

Named after the persisent, dry and iconic wind, the ‘suidooster’ that sweeps through Cape Town, the festival takes place at the Artscape Theatre in April and features an array of performances ranging from dance, drama, comedy and music.

To celebrate its 20th year, the festival has a jam packed programme with various discount offers available to festival goers.

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What to expect at the 2023 Suidoosterfees

Music

The festival will open with Afskop-konsert presented in collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Music Foundation on 26 April.

Also on the music programme, are 20 Musical Moments with André Schwartz, Lynelle Kenned, Emo Adams, Pierre van Heerden and Niël Rademan; House of Rhythm with the SU Jazz Band, Gloria Bosman and Timothy Moloi; and the ATKV Choir Gala with Zanne Stapelberg, Brittany Hope Smith, Conroy Scott, Nina Schumann and Megan-Geoffrey Prins. Elwira Standili, Anslin Gysman, Jodi Jantjies and Jonathan Rubain will appear in the music production Dankie.

The popular opera L’inganno Felice will be staged in Artscape’s Opera House, and actors of kykNET’s Suidooster will be back at the festival with Suidooster Stormsterk 2.

The renowned Stellenbosch University Choir will perform at the festival for the first time ever, and a commemorative concert will be held in honour of Prof. Jakes Gerwel, one of the festival’s founding members.

Soomloos will be presented in collaboration with Cape Town’s Philharmonic Orchestra. Die-hard festivalgoers can kick off their shoes every night at Late Night Boogie, a musical variety show with Gary Naidoo, Lucy Tops and other top-class entertainers.

Theatre productions

The NATi Theatre Festival boasts with 20 stage productions.

Bul, a razor-sharp dark comedy with Wian Taljaard, René Cloete, Wynand Kotze and Peggy Tunyiswa, is on the menu.

Marthinus Basson is in the director’s chair with Reza de Wet’s Mirakel. Dawid Minnaar, Brümilda van Rensburg, Edwin van der Walt, Carla Smith, Eben Genis and Rolanda Marais are in the cast of this classical drama.

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Magda Louw, based on the popular KykNET comedy, debuts as a one-woman show at the festival. Lee-Ann van Rooi will perform in The woman who fed the dogs, a sensational drama presented in collaboration with Belgian writers and artists.

This year’s Stemme series will feature 10 short, powerful dialogues with 20 actors, 10 directors and 10 writers involved. This innovative series proved to be very popular with festivalgoers last year, and it will be no exception during the festival’s 20th anniversary, where performances are free to the public. The project, in partnership with LitNet, NATi and the ATKV, includes dialogues written by Pieter-Dirk Uys, Valda Jansen, Deon Opperman, Rachelle Greeff, Nathan Trantraal, Marita van der Vyver and Bettina Wyngaard.

Five brand new drama productions feature on the NATi Rising Stars programme, written by young new voices who were included in the festival’s development projects, presented annually in collaboration with NATi and the Jakes Gerwel Foundation.

Youth programme at the Suidoosterfees

The ATKV Youth Theatre programme is packed with performances by learners and students from various schools and universities.

Four of the ATKV’s Tienertoneel competition winners are also on the programme.

Young audiences can look forward to Aspoestertjie … as die skoen pas, a quirky children’s musical of The Stage Performing Arts Studio.

Rafiek Mammon’s popular children’s book, ’n Goue ster vir Faizel, was adapted into a children’s play, and Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck will be on stage in Verna Vels’ Liewe Heksie vang vis.

NATi, the National Theatre Initiative, also brings excellent musical theatre to the festival. Clara with Nina Schumann and Carla Smith tells the story of composer and pianist Clara Schumann.

Cabaret artist Elzabé Zietsman can be seen in the Bruce Little’s Femme is Fatale. Coenie de Villiers, Mauritz Lotz, Jana Cilliers, Antoinette Kellermann and Vinette Ebrahim will share the stage in Woordmusiek.

Mixtape van die liefde features Jana Cilliers, Mathys Roets, Christo Davids, Anna Davel, Stephanie Baartman, Laurinda Hofmeyr and Leon Gropp in the cast.

David Kramer’s musical Ver in die wêreld, Kittie will have audiences captivated with Rushney Ferguson, Jenny Stead, Dean Balie, André Terblanche and Dylan Roman on stage.

Suidoosterfees dance productions

Music à la carte with students from Dance for All, Dance Synergy Volume II and Stof by the Garage Dance Ensemble. Dance classes, discussions and improvised dance performances with Figure of 8 Dance Collective are offered, as well as Sunset Salsa Social @ Suidoosterfees Piazza.

Packages and tickets

The Suidooster package offers access to the shows Magda Louw, Hallo, is Bettie wat praat and Suidooster Stormsterk 2 for only R300.

A package is also available for school learners and students that offers attendance of three festival productions for only R150.

The ATKV offers a Tienertoneel package for teachers involved in school plays at R1 200. This includes access to four ATKV Tienertoneel winning productions, 11 festival plays and four workshops.

For the full programme, visit www.suidoosterfees.co.za.

Tickets can be booked at Computicket, or at Artscape dial-a-seat at 021 421 7695. Many productions are free for the public, but prior booking via email is essential. This includes the Jakes Gerwel talks, dance productions and workshops.

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