FESTIVAL OF READING OF NEW WRITING 2012

The PANSA / NLDTF Festival of Reading of New Writing 2012 is a national project of the Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA).

Supported by the national Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, the 2012 Festival of Reading of New Writing is currently underway at the Catalina Theatre at Wilson’s Wharf. There are four productions in the drama category being judged today and tomorrow (June 1 and 3), with the National Finals taking place at Catalina on June 3.

PANSA is a civic national network of individuals, NGOs, service providers and mainstream institutions engaged in the practice or support of the performing arts (dance, music, theatre, opera, musical theatre). The national office is in Cape Town, with regional offices in Durban and North West, and active volunteers throughout the country.

Taking place today (June 1) are Craig Eisenstein’s Your Hand in My Pocket and Ingrid Wylde’s Wednesday Night

June 1 at 17h00: Your Hand in My Pocket by Craig Eisenstein. A park. A bench. A Lovely afternoon. Tomithy finds Norah having lunch alone and at battle with a flight of pigeons hungry for her sandwich. As a self-possessed, sprightly man, Tomithy makes his unconventional introduction to Norah. Immediately Norah is on the defensive, throwing cold walls against each of Tomithy's unwanted affability. Over the course of the afternoon, a fine tongue wears down Norah's surly airs; Tomithy's victory conditions: dinner beneath the night sky. Affection between them grows by starlight and ready-made meals, and a feeling thought lost by Norah is suddenly new found within her; it is something precious to her; something to be cared for and cultivated, and Tomithy is her imagined gardener. But, even the light of stars cast their own small shadows, and by the brightness of later days, a dark history can no longer remain hidden in their newly blossomed relationship.

Craig Eisenstein is an English Literature, Creative Writing and Dramatic Writing graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to his enrolment as an English scholar, he studied and was exposed to many other various fields. He has written several unpublished works consisting of a novella, a collection of eight children's short books, numerous short stories, several plays and a novel. One of Craig's short stories won the 2010 German Embassy cultural award for his tale depicting the journey of a young man crossing from East to West Berlin in 1961; several other of his stories have placed in various competitions.

Director William le Cordeur with Ron Barbour as Tomithy Maschera, Caitlin Kilburn as Norah Vella and Avi Maistry as the Teller / Theatre Announcer:


June 1 at 20h00: Wednesday Night by Ingrid Wylde. A group of closely bonded young women, all graduates, meet on Wednesday nights, for book club, for supper, for female friendship. Fran is an investigative journalist, Yasmine an actress, Claire a structural engineer, Thandeka an investment banker, and Mbali works in production, TV and advertising. Mbali is married to Mandla who runs a very successful construction company.

On this Wednesday night, they are meeting at Mbali’s beautiful new house. Claire does not make it and later that night Mbali discovers that she and a foreman were killed by a collapsing wall while on a site visit. Devastated and grieving, Mbali does not notice the changes in behaviour of her husband Mandla. When she does, in her confusion, she believes he is having an affair with Fran. Thandeka and Yasmine, both meet men but both relationships flounder when both men turn out not to be who the women thought they were. Can love survive betrayal? Can you ever really know someone? Wednesday Night deals with the devastating personal effects of confusion, loss and corruption.

Writer, director, producer and facilitator Ingrid Wylde studied at Birmingham and Manchester Universities in the UK and completed her MA at Wits University. An acclaimed director, her work constantly explores the use of site-specific theatre and notions of identity with a passion for reworking classics to speak for the present. She has directed work throughout South Africa and in the UK and her work has featured extensively over the last nine years at the National Arts Festival, and other festivals. She has worked extensively with UBOM! Eastern Cape Drama Company. Her new play Princess Emma / Ukuzazi written in conjunction with isiXhosa poet Amanda Nodada, will premier as a site-specific piece on the Main Programme at the National Arts Festival in 2012. It was shortlisted for the African Play writers Project of the National Theatre in London 2011.

Director Bandile Mkhize with Nonhle Zulu (Mbali); Donna Steel (Fran); Nolulamo Maquthu (Thandeka), Shona Johnson (Yasmine) and Thobani Mbhele (Mandla)


June 2 at 14h00: Hinterland by Duncan Buwalda. Kimberley, 1899. Legendary imperialist Cecil John Rhodes arrives in the city of diamonds before the Boers besiege it, and meets his new secretary: ANC founding father Sol Plaatje. An unlikely friendship develops, with results that neither one would ever expect... A touching, bittersweet look at South Africa’s past, and the men behind the legends.

Duncan Buwalda was born and schooled in Johannesburg, and studied Drama and English at, (appropriately!), Rhodes. An earlier draft of Hinterland was performed as a reading at the Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre in 2008. Last year his play Dream, Brother was performed at the National Arts Festival and won the Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award for Fringe Drama. It returns for another run in Grahamstown this year. Buwalda has written plays since he was 16 and says he has no intention of stopping. He currently works as a History teacher in Cape Town.

Director Caroline Smart with Nick Lorentz (Rhodes); Nhlakanipho Manqele (Plaatje); Roger Service (Kekewich); Frank Graham (Dr Smartt) and News Vendor/Messenger Darren King.


June 2 at 17h00: Bones by Anton Krueger. In our hearts we’re bonobos … Two friends in their 40’s meet up to play pool. Ashley is a lecturer in philosophy and Jimmy works in television. Ashley is married and has a daughter, whereas Jimmy has been recklessly pursuing every sexual fantasy imaginable. When two girls half their age disrupt their game, the friction caused leads to all manner of revelations...

Anton Krueger’s plays have been performed in eight countries. His play about Dimitri Tsafendas, Living in Strange Lands (2001), was nominated for numerous awards nationally and abroad, including the FNB-VITA and the Olive Schreiner. His play Chatter won the Gauteng round of the PANSA Festival of New Writing in 2007. His recent books include a memoir, Sunnyside Sal (2010), comedy monologues, Shaggy (with Pravasan Pillay, 2011) and Everyday Anomalies (poetry, 2011). His poem Nine Notes on Lisbon was a runner up for the Dalro Poetry prize in 2010, and his book Experiments in Freedom: Issues of Identity in New South African Drama won the Rhodes Vice Chancellor’s Book award for the same year.

Director Charles Fourie with Mike Gritten (Ashley); Thomie Holtzhausen (Jimmy); Maddi Davis (Anoesca), and Mia Olivier (Chanel):

The announcement of the winners and the prize-giving will take place at Catalina Theatre at 20h00 on January 2 with the national finals being held on June 3 from 13h00.

The Performing Arts Network of SA’s national AGM will take place on June 2 at 10h00.

Ticket price R30 per reading. R100 if you buy for all four readings in each region. The National Final event is R30, or free with a stub from at least one regional performance. Tickets in all instances are available at the door. Catalina Theatre regionals and final readings booked through the Catalina on 031 3056889.