THE Playhouse Company will host its 19th annual Iscathamiya competition on Saturday 24, September where top-notch groups will converge on the Playhouse for an all-night feast of song and dance.
“In the spirit of Heritage Month, we are once again delighted to host our annual Iscathamiya competition as part of The Playhouse Company’s mission to support and promote indigenous South African art forms. It is always a delight to host the competition because of the successes over the years. The atmosphere is always festive and electrifying,” said Playhouse Company chief executive officer and artistic director, Linda Bukhosini.
Iscathamiya is the traditional, unaccompanied Zulu harmonious singing and tightly-choreographed dance style performed by mostly male groups, with the celebrated award-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo having taken the style to audiences around the world.
The only competition of its kind in South Africa will kick off at 7pm in the Opera theatre and will feature as many as 85 winning groups from the regional competitions which were held around KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng. The regional auditions took place during June and July.
Alongside the dance competition extravaganza will be the pageantry competition.
The groups and participants are competing for the prize money worth close to R200 000. One deserving group will win a goat.
Tickets can be purchased at Computicket at Shoprite and Checkers at R75 a ticket. For bookings, contact Dawn on 031 369 9407 or the Playhouse Box Office on 031 369 9540/9596.