Locals set to show their art in Grahamstown

ATTENDING this year’s National Arts Festival (NAF) taking place in Grahamstown from 29 June to  9 July will be 12 Durban theatre groups who are being supported by Arts and Living Cultures, eThekwini Municipality.

The festival is widely considered to be the premier national arts festival in South Africa boasting a varied programme of the best of performing and visual arts across all genres. This year the focus is ‘creative disruption’ and for the first time in its 43 year history, the festival put out a call for proposals with a theme.

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eThekwini’s support is enabling 120 theatre makers from 12 different productions across various genres to have a presence on the Fringe of this year’s NAF. They include Trafficked, Game Over, Us against Them and Nomalizo, The Brave.

“We are always delighted in being able to help facilitate taking productions to the National Arts Festival. It is important for the city to have a presence at one of the country’s foremost arts festivals and to allow our theatre makers to experience a national platform – especially emerging theatre voices to be able to add their story to the national dialogue,” said Themba Mchunu, manager – Arts and Living Cultures, eThekwini Municipality.

Carrying Durban’s flag at the NAF will also be Neil Coppen whose new piece, Newfoundland (Buiteland) is on the main programme.

Durban music guru and practicing labour lawyer Richard Haslop has four music themed talks which looks at music through his immense knowledge and quirky eyes.

Making people laugh will by Lisa Bobbert and Aaron McIlroy with their Comedy Masterclass and Marriage for Dummies and Ben Voss and John van de Ruit with their Mamba Republic. Rajesh Gopie’s classic Out of Bounds has been re-imagined as a two hander.

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