ABNORMAL LOAD

Letter to the Editor from Ismail Mahomed (National Arts Festival Director) in response to artSMart’s review of Abnormal Load.

When Neil Coppen received the Standard Bank Young Artists Award last year, it affirmed him as a playmaker whose talents are worthy of being acknowledged. With the creation of his Abnormal Load, Coppen has gone to new heights to showcase his ability. There is no doubt that Neil Coppen's name will resonate in theatre corridors, greenrooms and management offices as one of the strongest artistic voices of this year's Festival.

But beyond just establishing himself this year as an incredibly powerful artistic voice in South Africa, his success does so much more to reposition our focus to the KZN province. For far too long, the theatre sector in South Africa has been dominated by Johannesburg and Cape Town. Coppen steals the spotlight and he helps South African theatre managements to look at KZN for other such similar artistic geniuses who may be working there. I am confident that with Coppen being such an outstanding ambassador for artists in KZN, that so much more worthy talent will now be found in that province.

Regards, Ismail Mahomed (Festival Director)