Through the newly-restructured Professional
Development Programme funded by Nedbank Arts Affinity, the Arts and Culture
Trust (ACT) is proud to be supporting projects in their appearance at the
National Arts Festival, which takes place from July 3 to 13, 2014, in the
Eastern Cape city of Grahamstown.
Well Worn, Jungle and Seka Theatre
Companies will present an outdoor physical theatre production in the Botanical
Gardens. Directed by Kyla Davis, The
Baobab - a new, site-responsive African eco-play, explores the rich (yet
threatened) cultural and ecological heritage of the isiVenda people and their
land. The project will run alongside the Re-Imagining programme at Rhodes Environmental
Learning Research Centre.
Looking at the South African environment
and social contexts from a different perspective, The Man In The Green Jacket was written as a response to the
Marikana massacre. Created and developed by Eliot Moleba in collaboration with
Drama for Life, this is “An emotionally charged play that subtly, yet
effectively captures the daily experience of generations of mining families”
according to Shehnaz Munshi. Questioning whether there can be growth through
tragedy, the play also poses questions about our responsibility, as a society,
in its aftermath.
The National School of the Arts will once
again be showcasing their top talent in their production of Dance Spectrum. Some 30 learners will
take part in the production. It comprises a dance spectacular featuring
classical, Spanish, African and contemporary dance; and extracts from the
school's acclaimed production of the Broadway hit musical Sweet Charity.
BOK is a new contemporary dance work that filters Vaslav Nijinsky’s
iconic ballet Afternoon of a Faun
through the lens of contemporary South Africa. BOK explores the fluidity between animal and human, the ugly and
the beautiful. “It is inspiring to be recognised by ACT as an emerging and
important new voice in South African theatre”, says choreographer Steven van
Wyk, of Underground Dance Theatre.” He elaborates “Vaslav Nijinsky's Afternoon of a Faun is an important
historical landmark that, in 1912, stood for progress and provocation,
challenging notions of what is dance and what is beautiful. BOK asks the same questions in a
different context,” adding that ACT's grant allows him to develop a
high-quality, full-length South African ballet by collaborating with the
dancers, costume designer and composer that he could only ever have dreamed
about.
From performance to installation; Bridget
Baker’s is the artist behind A Temporary
Admission on the Visual Art Programme. Curated by the inimitable Storm
Janse van Rensburg, this work is situated at the intersection of documentary
and myth making, forming a series of complex visual fragments realised through
film making, installation and documented re-stagings. Jetty SCOUR – an art film, created with the support of the Arts and
Culture Trust, will be projected as part of this installation – a documentation
through imaginative re-enactment, of the arrival of the “human-transporter”, a
replicated 19th century cane-woven lift used in Algoa Bay to transport settlers
to and from ships at sea.
Debra Batzofin, a seasoned theatre manager
and administrator with 40 years’ experience in the South African and
international entertainment industry, has written an indispensable guide to
operating a venue. Titled Ask Miss B: A Beginner’s Guide to Running a Theatre,
this industry handbook concisely sets out all you need to know about managing a
theatre. From legalities and labour issues to the nuts and bolts of dealing
with outside producers, Batzofin covers it all. Far from being a staid
handbook, it includes useful practical examples supplemented by friendly advice
drawn from her many years of working in all aspects of the performing arts. Ask Miss B is an essential tool to help
newcomers (and even professionals) navigate the minefield of theatre management
with success and confidence. With the support of Tsogo Sun, Splitbeam and DWR
Distribution, every university student participating in the 2014 Student
Theatre Festival at the National Arts Festival will receive a complimentary
copy.
For travellers making the ‘trek’ to the
Festival, The Platteland Preview Festival In Smithfield, Free State, serves as
a Halfway House for artists and their productions or exhibitions on the way
their way to Grahamstown. The aim is to showcase and promote visual and
performing arts in the central rural part of South Africa. Half-way between
Gauteng and Grahamstown, Smithfield is ideally located for such a project
especially as it serves an area where most people have little exposure to the
arts.
“At this auspicious time in our own history
as an organisation, which mirrors the equivalent anniversary of our country’s
democracy, it’s wonderful to be able to support artists in the production of
works across a number of genres, in their presentation on this significant
national platform,” says ACT CEO Pieter Jacobs.
Bookings for the National Arts Festival can
be made via www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
or 0860 002 004. For more information on these individual projects, and how to
apply for funding, see ACT’s website, www.act.org.za
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