FESTIVAL DIARY – DAY #8

June 28, 2010

Last day today so a time for tidying up and packing away my portable office – no mean task, I can tell you! My two front tyres had begun to look alarmingly bald so rather than take a chance, I had two new tyres fitted plus the necessary balancing which was handled very efficiently by Wessen’s in town.

I wandered around the stalls outside the City Hall which all offered pretty much what they’ve offered for years – numerous bags, jackets and scarves. Then off to my usual last-day stop, Connock’s Butchery, to buy some of their kudu biltong to take home to my husband.

Staying at the farm and needing to get home early enough to put in at least three hours of work before I go to bed, I don’t get to see much of the restaurant life in Grahamstown at Festival time but can heartily recommend Giorgio’s, La Trattoria and Haricot.

Had a chance to catch up with writer Marguerite Poland who is now living permanently in Grahamstown. She's looking as lovely and gracious as ever and busy with a number of projects connected with St Andrews College.

This afternoon, I saw my last show, Deep Freezing, which is about two tuckshop ladies frozen in time since the 1950’s who thaw out in 2010 and find their world radically changed. Written by and featuring Juliet Jenkin and Frances Slabolepszy and directed by Alex Halligey, it’s an amusing piece with some delicious lines but the actresses’ dialogue became too shrill at times to be comprehensible.

New Ovation Award Winners are two Durban productions, Mein Soldat and Boston Marriage, as well as Ama-No-Gawa, Guy Buttery, Same but not Different and Elev(I)ate2.