The 2013 edition of the National Arts
Festival draws to a close with Festival award winners being announced on the
final day.
Convenor of the Standard Bank Ovation
Awards Panel, Adrienne Sichel, described the work presented on the Fringe at
this year’s Festival as “courageous and inventive”, explaining that themes of
renegotiation of history and heritage, and remapping identity, featured as a
strong thread through this year’s productions.
The only Gold Ovation awarded this year was
to musician Dan Patlansky. Patlansky’s acoustic performances at the Festival
played to both critical and audience acclaim while his collaboration with Karen
Zoid left the sold-out crowd mesmerized.
Silver Ovations were awarded to comedian
Rob van Vuuren for pushing the boundaries of stand-up comedy in his show What What; musician Julian Redpath; The Bram Fischer Waltz; and The Things You Left Behind, directed by
Kim Kerfoot and starring Jason Potgieter and Alicia McCormick. Joanna Evans won
a Silver Ovation for her production of The
Year of the Bicycle – supported on the Fringe this year as part of her
prize as Best Up and Coming Director of last year’s Student Festival.
A Special Silver Ovation Award presented to
Steven van Wyk and Thalia Laric for the creation of Skoonveld, in the
production Plastic.
Encore Awards were made to A Day in the Desert and Skierlik, recognising their potential
for professional development.
Following the recognition of their
production Wintersweet in 2012, an AHA
Award was made to Horses Heads productions for Scrape, as a production that surprised and delighted the judges.
In recognition of their long standing and
varied contributions to the industry, two Standing Ovation Awards were
announced this year – to consummate performer and educator Andrew Buckland; and
actress/director Nomhle Nkonyeni, both of whom have made invaluable
contributions to industry internationally, nationally and though reinvestment
in the Eastern Cape.
The Festival’s inaugural Short Sharp
Stories competition has seen the publication of some of the best submissions in
a crime anthology entitled Bloody Satisfied. The winner of this year’s
competition for the best story was awarded to Dawn Garish.
The SA Post Office reaffirmed their
investment in the culture and heritage of the country through their support of
the Student Theatre Awards, through which winners receive various levels of
support to present productions at next year’s Festival. A panel of advisors
comprising Gez Casey, Smal Ndaba, Christina Kennedy and Peter Terry recognised
enormous potential in the next generation of professionals with two
institutions featuring prominently on the awards front. The Market Theatre Lab received
kudos for the poster design and overall marketing campaign of their production
of Milk and Honey and UCT taking the
honours for Most Promising Student Director (Mira Sydow), Most Promising
Student Writer (Mathew Baldwin, Wynne Bredenkamp and Taryn Wyngaardt), Best
Student Theatre Production, and the floating Cape Triangular Trophy, for their
production entitled Behind Every Yawn
There is a Silent Shout.
Merit Awards were presented to Jess
Harrison from Rhodes University, recognising promise in directorial
conceptualisation and design; to The Market Theatre Lab’s production of Milk & Honey as the production with
the greatest viability for a professional run; and to Oakfields College’s Journey, the SA Post Office choice for
showcasing creativity and innovation.
It was also announced that some productions
had been invited to participate in the Brighton, Prague, and Amsterdam Fringe
Festivals, through the World Fringe Alliance network. These include Crazy in Love, Three Little Pigs, Stuart
Lightbody’s Unreal, Thom Pain (based on nothing) and The Epicene Butcher and other stories for consenting adults.
Julian Redpath was chosen as the singer/songwriter
to be showcased this year through a new partnership between the National Arts
Festival and Oppikoppi.
The Standard Bank Ovation Awards are
decided by a panel after nominations are received by visiting critics and the
media. The panel included Adrienne Sichel, Lynette Marais, Phyllis Klotz, Smal
Ndaba, Bridget van Oerle, Steve Kretzmann, Suzy Bernstein, Estelle Sinkins,
Helen Herimbi, Mariana Malan, Debbie Hathway, Anneke Jansen, Julian Caddy, Jay
Pather, Steve Gove, Gregory Maqoma, Juanita Finestone-Praeg, Eduard Greyling,
Michelle Constant and Tony Lankester.
The 40th edition of the National Arts
Festival, Grahamstown will take place from June 26 to July 6, 2014. See www.nationalartsfestival.co.za,
or the National Arts Festival Grahamstown on Facebook, or @artsfestival on
Twitter, for more information.
The National Arts Festival is sponsored by
Standard Bank, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Eastern Cape
Government, Department of Arts and Culture, National Arts Council, City Press
and M Net.
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