ABSA KKNK PROGRAMME

Festival goers can look forward to an impressive number of debut productions during the 17th Absa KKNK from April 2 to 9 2011 in Oudtshoorn.

One prominent feature of this diverse festival programme that will be launched on January 20 in Cape Town, is a selection of nail-biting dramas that will have audiences gripping their seats in suspense. Festival goers can indulge in this preview of two productions where the tension levels will ensure gripping drama.

As part of this festival’s Oudtshoorn Oraloor offering of memorable outdoor arts experiences, the site specific drama, Hel op Hemel-en-Aarde, is about the serial killer Hansie Mowers, also known as “the phantom of the Overberg”. According to the community, Hansie has supernatural powers. By day he hides in the mountains to steal, poach and plunder. In the evening he turns into a black cat. This is when he silently slips into houses to capture the daughters in the valley. Hansie creates havoc in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley and harasses this tightly knit community mercilessly. An unusual experience awaits the audience, because in this drama there is no single stage. The audience is taken from one place of mischief to the next. With dramatic text by Francois Bloemhof, nail-biting tension is guaranteed. Others involved include Schalk Joubert, music director, and Deon van Zyl, cast manager.

Based on Dennis Kelly’s award-winning Orphans, in Wees you meet Danie and Heleen. They are sitting down for supper. Suddenly they look up and see Liam. He is tense and his shirt is drenched in blood. And so begins this Afrikaans Hitchcock-reminiscent thriller. In spite of our obsession with high walls, alarm systems and barbed wire, what do you do when the evil is already inside your house? Hennie van Greunen is responsible for the translation and producing, with cast Nicola Hanekom, André Weideman and Gustav Gerdener.

Other highlights to look forward to during the Absa KKNK 2011 include close to 100 top-notch productions and exhibitions, a spectacular music programme, entertainment for the whole family, delicious food and wine, a friendly, sociable atmosphere and so much more. KKNK patrons should prepare themselves for eight days of the arts in unforgettable in Klein Karoo style.

Tickets will be available from January 24 2011 to members of the Absa KKNK loyalty club (Kl!ek) and to the public from January 31, 2011. Tickets available at Computicket branches, online at www.computicket.com or at your nearest Shoprite/Checkers. For more information about the programme of the Absa KKNK 2011 visit www.absakknk.co.za