Figures suggest business as usual for National Arts Festival.
Organisers of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown
reported that 2013 was turning out to be a solid “business as usual” year for
the event, with good weather and numerous sold-out shows characterising the
first weekend.
“The first half of the Festival saw us hold ticket sales
steady on the 2012 figures,” said CEO, Tony Lankester. “Overall sales, in terms
of number of tickets, are just under 3% higher when tested against the
comparative point last year. The rand value of the tickets sold has increased
by about 8% which is about what we would expect in terms of our ticket
pricing.”
But Lankester cautioned against speculating that this would
result in growth when the final tally is done. “The last weekend sees us host
big music shows from MiCasa, Soweto String Quartet, Karen Zoid and Jonas
Gwangwa. Advance sales for all these shows have been very strong, and those
numbers are included in the numbers we’re looking at today. This will result in
a bit of a slowdown in daily sales toward the end of this week.”
While the number of productions at the Festival this year is
holding steady (576 in 2013 vs. 574 in 2012), the number of performances has
reduced significantly as part of the Festival’s Fringe management strategy from
2579 to 2295. “We have consciously reduced the number of performances to
minimise risk to new productions coming to Grahamstown for the first time,”
Lankester added. “Debut companies are given fewer performance slots in a
concentrated period of time so that their accommodation and living costs can be
contained while they develop a Grahamstown following, which we know takes a
couple of years. This ensures that the companies are more sustainable and
responsibly managed,” he said.
It seems that festivalgoers are not being put off by the
pending petrol price increase or the tough economic climate, with many
businesses in Grahamstown and traders at the Transnet Village Green Fair
reporting booming sales.
The first half of the Festival saw 138 sold out
performances, including the controversial My
Name is Rachel Corrie, the Gala Concert, performances by jazz trombonist
Steve Turre and last year’s smash Three
Little Pigs which returned to the Fringe fresh from their Australian tour
and just before they leave for a month-long run in Edinburgh and at the
Amsterdam Fringe.
Comedy fans ensured that Festival favourite Siv Ngesi,
Stuart Taylor and Riaad Moosa all enjoyed full houses, while other Fringe
perennials – Big Boys II, The Brothers Streep, and Raiders also packed them in.
A fresh crop of theatre productions on the Fringe also earned accolades and
attracted the crowds – including The Snow
Goose, Crazy in Love, An Audience with Miss Hobhouse and The Things you Left Behind.
“We’re very pleased with the number of sold out shows,
particularly theatre,” Artistic Director Ismail Mahomed said. “But there’s
plenty more to come across the Main and the Fringe, including the work of our
Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Drama, Prince Lamla; Standard Bank
Young Artist for Dance Fana Tshabalala; two performances by Pieter Dirk-Uys,
and the climax of Young Artist Anthea Moys’ cycle of performances in which she
takes on the City of Grahamstown. These productions, and others, including our
“Urban Ballet” project which forms part of our end of Festival Street Parade,
will ensure that we finish the Festival on a high note.”
A finale fireworks display will be staged on Saturday
evening, before the start of the Jonas Gwangwa concert in the Guy Butler
Theatre. The Festival ends with a “50% Fringe” day on July 7, with all Fringe
tickets being sold at half of the full price, an initiative, now in its third
year, which has proven hugely popular with local audiences wanting to cram as
many shows into the last day as possible.
The National Arts Festival takes place in Grahamstown from June
27 to July 7, 2013. Tickets are available through Computicket. See www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
or the National Arts Festival on Facebook for more info.
The National Arts Festival, now in its 39th year, has proved
its sustainability and has grown to be one of the leading arts festivals in
Southern Africa. Its objectives are to deliver excellence; encourage innovation
and development in the arts by providing a platform for both established and
emerging South African artists; create opportunities for collaboration with
international artists; and build new audiences.
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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