MUSHO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

Festival of One and Two Hander Theatre at Catalina Theatre and BAT Centre.

The Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA) in KZN will host the fourth Musho International Theatre Festival of One and Two Person Theatre, at the Catalina Theatres as well as, for the first time, the BAT Centre theatre in Durban from January 8 to 18, 2009.

Musho – isiZulu for an enthusiastic praise response, something similar to “Bravo!” - embraces all true and accepted forms of theatre: from mime to physical theatre, drama to comedy-theatre. It pays tribute to the smaller works featuring one and two performers.

“The first three festivals held in January 2006, 07 and 08, were astonishingly inspiring and successful with some fabulous productions, interesting dialogue, master-classes and amazing support,” says Musho Festival Director, Emma Durden.

Productions from abroad, throughout South Africa and around Durban, will have two performances each – either at the BAT Centre or the Catalina Theatre.

There are three international productions including ones from Holland and Israel.

From outside Durban, Mary Steward’s hilarious take on the journey from girl to grown-up in Womanhood; Aldo Brincat’s memories or growing up in a household of magicians in My Father's Hat from Botswana; Presley Chweneyegae’s (Tsotsi) recently written script Cell 4; the dark and fabulously physical Afrikaans piece called Wraak Engel from Cape-Town's Floyed De Waal; the big bang farce Gods, fate and a librarian from Cape Town from Erica Glyn Jones and Haidee Crowe which formed the opening performance of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (a satirical comedy of religion, belief, politics and assassination and how they are all part of the same big plan); It's not Me a story of thwarted love and the tyranny of culture from a group in PE, mentored by Winston Ntshona; Between Cup and Lip the moving story of the relationship between two women: a maid and her madam written by Kemble Elliott.

Productions from in and around Durban include: Gisele Turner and Mpume Mthobeni's fascinating San story Rain; local actress Janna Ramos Violante in Biography of a Blue Monkey; Conversations with your Ex by local theatre luminary Gail Snyman, and the tale of Sepia Seamstress - young women coming to terms with traditional Indian cultural values by Mayuri Naidoo and Kajal Maharaj written by Clinton Marius who was comedy finalist in last year’s NLDTF PANSA New Writing Festival and directed by Clinton Marius and Caroline Smart.

The festival will once again showcase the most innovative, interesting, articulate, sophisticated and cutting edge theatre available currently and will be a real feast of contemporary and acclaimed fresh new works sourced from throughout South Africa and abroad.

The festival is presented by PANSA with support from the NAC and Africalia. For more info contact the Catalina Theatre on 031 305 6889 or PANSA office on kzn@pansa.org.za

Full schedules can be emailed / faxed to you on request.

To book tickets to performances at either venue, call Thandeka at the Catalina on 031 305 6889. Full programme available at www.mushofestival.co.za

Tickets can be purchased online at www.strictlytickets.com or at www.goingplacessa.co.za / www.goingplacessa.com

The Musho Festival runs from January 8 to 18 at the BAT Centre and the Catalina Theatre at Wilson’s Wharf. For more details see www.mushofestival.co.za (Shortly after the close of each show, reviews will appear on Musho website)