( Pic by Domy Cortes: Themi Venturas – PANSA; Mandisa Haarhof – winning actor, Audience vote; Arifani Moyo – 2nd position, runner up Audience Vote; Musho Director Emma Durde; Mary Steward – winner: Sulliman Selection, and Fiona Sulliman – donor, Sulliman Selection)A fulfilling few days were enjoyed by lovers of innovative drama at the sixth Musho Theatre Festival of One and Two Person Theatre, hosted by the Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA) in KZN at the Catalina Theatre in Durban from January 12 to 16, 2011.
In addition, history was made when both the winner and the runner up of the popular Audience Favourite Vote went to productions from Pietermaritzburg: Crush Hopper – a tale of love and identity – performed by Mandisa Haarhof and directed by Ntokozo Madlala won the top prize. The runner up prize went to the opening night production: From Bush to Country – a poignant journey through the mad history of Zimbabwe performed by Arifani Moyo and directed by William le Cordeur (the new director of the Schlesinger Theatre at Michaelhouse).
A highlight of the festival was an innovative addition: Musho with a Twist. In addition to the nine top-notch productions from around South Africa, this year’s festival saw the addition of six short productions from community theatre groups involved in the Twist Theatre Development Project, which is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the KZN Department of Arts and Culture.
The six groups were paired with award-winning writers and directors, including Neil Coppen, Bheki Mkhwane, Debbie Lutge, Themi Venturas, and Edmund Mhlongo. These interesting and fresh collaborations brought an interesting new angle to the festival, and the Twist participants enjoyed being part of the Musho festival and enthusiastically supported many of the Musho Main shows.
There was an Audience Vote for the Musho twist – winner was To be Like This Rock, by the Umsindo Theatre Projects – a tender portrayal of a young girl caught up in human trafficking - written by Neil Coppen and directed by Debbie Lutge, and the runner up was Camp 13 by Just Don’t Theatre Group – a heart hitting story about two bush soldiers meeting up again many years after the war - written by David Stein and directed by Jerry Pooe.
Every year the Sulliman family present their Sulliman Selection – a floating trophy which they give to the production they most enjoy. The Sulliman family have been supporting Musho since its inception and have seen virtually all of the shows in the festival’s six year history. Tragically, Mr Farouk Sulliman passed away last year, so his wife Mrs Rita Sulliman and daughter Fiona continued his legacy. The Sulliman Selection this year went to festival regular Mary Stewart’s delicious Men’s Room – a woman’s view on the complexities of men.
Musho – Zulu for an enthusiastic praise response, something similar to “Bravo!” - embraces all 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.
After extensive research, PANSA realized that a festival early in the year staging more intimate theatrical productions is considered a useful and exciting start to the year by performers and audiences alike. Musho benefits the performers as staging their shows and collecting reviews early in the year helps them for future seasons of the production through the year. The audiences love seeing an array of fabulous theatre early in the year when calendars are quiet and when the festive flurry is over.
The festival team is grateful for the support by their sponsors and partners: The Daily News, Ethekwini Municipality, Twist Theatre Development Projects, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, and Pentravel.
More information and peer views of the productions at www.mushofestival.co.za
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