FTH:K in KZN

Award-winning visual theatre company FTH:K kicks off its biggest national tour yet this month, starting with KwaZulu-Natal from April 16 until 28.

The company, who recently won the Fleur du Cap Award for Innovation in Theatre, visits schools and organisations as part of its annual National Education Tour. Until September 8, the tour will travel to Mpumalanga, the Free State, Western Cape, Gauteng and a run at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town.

FTH:K, whose signature style of non-verbal theatre encourages audiences to 'Listen With Your Eyes', works with both Deaf and hearing performers. Their Tell-Tale Signs education programme which prepares Deaf students for a career in the professional theatre industry, starts at school level and progresses to potential full-time employment with the company. As always, the National Education Tour comprises of interactive workshops, lectures and a performance.

The dates for the KZN leg are: Kwa Vulindebele in Chatsworth and St Martin de Porres in Port Shepstone (April 16); the KwaZulu-Natal Deaf Association in Durban (April 17); Treverton School in Mooi River (April 18); St John's DSG in Pietermaritzburg (April 19); Kwa Thintwa in Inchanga (April 20); Epworth School Pietermaritzburg (April 20); Fulton School in Gillitts, Durban (April 23); St Mary's DSG in Kloof (April 24); VN Naik School in Newlands, Durban (April 25) and Thomas More in Kloof (April 26).

"This is our most extensive tour yet, visiting new schools in KwaZulu-Natal and including Mpumalanga and the Free State is an exciting first for us. We always have a special affinity with KZN as our co-founder, Rob Murray, grew up there," says FTH:K Artistic Director Jayne Batzofin, who also devised, directed and designed the production Shortcuts for the 2011 tour. "In addition to the theatre workshops, we will present our latest production OfficeBLOCK. This year we also want to plant a seed for taking in future trainees from a national pool for our Tell-Tale Signs programme in Cape Town."

Performing in OfficeBLOCK will be seasoned FTH:K Trainees Marlon Snyders, Christopher Beukes and Sinethemba Mgebisa, who took part in the Shortcuts tour, and FTH:K newcomer Asanda Rilityana. The production previewed last year and has been further developed for the national tour. The Cape Times description states: "OfficeBLOCK is a fun, yet thought-provoking depiction of the tyranny of conformity and the culture of corporate greed. FTH:K continues to occupy hearts and minds with non-verbal theatre that screams with originality and verve.".

The production takes on life around the office water cooler in a series of captivating vignettes that lift the lid on the tyranny of conformity and the culture of corporate greed. The series is set in the seemingly familiar world of white-collar workers and dreary office surroundings where everything is business as usual...or is it? In a battle between personal and personnel, four co-workers negotiate life within the corporation, and the audience watches as things unravel at the suit-seams when the hunger for greed and power leads to the point of no return.

"We welcome Sherna Botto, our new project manager for the schools tour, to the team. Sherna has worked with the likes of Magnet Theatre and BLK Sunshine so it's great to have her on board. In addition to her extensive theatre experience, she spent five years working in the tourism industry so is expert at managing our itineraries and logistics," says Batzofin.

For further information visit www.fthk.co.za

FTH:K remains grateful to all its 2012 supporters, including: National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund National Arts Council Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport Pretoria Portland Cement Company LTD Arts and Culture Trust Nellie Atkinson Trust Institute for Catholic Education Distell Foundation City of Cape Town FTH:K individual members Supported by Business and Arts South Africa