PANSA CELEBRATES A SUCCESSFUL YEAR

Performing Arts Network South Africa celebrates 6th birthday.

PANSA (Performing Arts Network South Africa) celebrated their 6th birthday at their AGM in Cape Town in August 2008. PANSA's successes in the last year included the Musho! Festival in Durban, the Month of Performance and We All Benefit concert in Cape Town, with life skills development and training in many provinces. On a national level, the PANSA/NLDTF Festival of Contemporary Reading of New writings once again accessed some of the finest writing talent in our industry.

With the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces going from strength to strength, representatives from these provinces were elected onto the National Committee. Notably, Erica Glyn-Jones from the Western Cape was unanimously elected as chair – the first time a woman has led the organization.

At the AGM it was decided to move PANSA's national base to Cape Town. PANSA aims to reinstate a national office and coordinator this year. The AGM also encouraged PANSA to continue in it's unifying of the industry and lobbying around issues such as funding distribution methods and bodies.

Erica Glyn-Jones is looking forward to an exciting 2008/9 for PANSA: with a strong National Steering committee, and the passion for the industry exhibited by PANSA's membership-base, she feels PANSA is taking on a new and vibrant direction, and looks forward to serving the needs of the Performing Arts Industry.

Upcoming PANSA projects to look out for are PANSA's new website and the PANSA KZN Musho! Festival of one and two handers, which will run from January 8 to 18. (www.mushofestival.co.za)

The new National Executive Committee is as follows: Erica Glyn-Jones (Chair); Themi Venturas (PANSA KZN Chair); Willie Reetsang (PANSA NW Chair); Frans Sema, Boipelo Mogodiri; Tanya Surtees (PANSA WC Chair); Karen Jeynes; Brian Heydenrych and Illa Thompson and Kajal Bagwandeen from KZN.