(A scene from “We are
still marching”)
For Women’s Month in August, The Playhouse Company will
present its famed South African Women’s Arts Festival (SAWAF). Marking the
Company’s 20th Festival, this extremely popular annual Festival will this year
commemorate 60 years since the 1956 Women’s March to Parliament.
Free Workshops for
Artists & Suppliers: Playhouse Alhambra Room on August 11 from 10h00 to
15h00.
Touring and Funding in
the Arts with panelists John Mogashoa from the Department of Arts &
Culture, Michelle Constant from Business and Arts South Africa, and Sanele
Dlamini from the National Lotteries Commission. The session will be facilitated
by Durban theatre practitioner, Jerry Pooe.
Venue and Technical
Management in the Arts, with panelists Durban theatre practitioner, Edmund
Mhlongo, and Playhouse Company technical specialists Annah Mototo and Philane
Shange, facilitated by Playhouse Company Technical Manager, Le Rien Stoffberg.
Financial Contracts
and Human Resource Management in the Arts featuring panellists Playhouse
Company Chief Financial Officer, Amar Mohanparasadh, and the Company’s Human
Resources Manager, Ian Warnes, facilitated by Ashwin Singh. Some of the
subjects to be included in the workshop are how to register your company,
production budgeting, financial contracts, managing company cash flow and
ensuring compliance.
A short workshop for
prospective suppliers to The Playhouse Company. During this workshop,
Playhouse Company CFO, Amar Mohanparasadh will present a tutorial about the
government’s Central Supplier Database (CSD), the benefits of registering and
how to go about it. During this workshop, panelists will provide direct
assistance about the CSD to anyone who potentially wishes to become a supplier
to The Playhouse Company.
All four workshops are free, and recommended for all
performing arts practitioners. For all the workshops, anyone interested in
attending is asked to reserve their seats by calling Dawn on 031 369 9407.
Limited space is available.
We are still marching: August 11 to 13 - Playhouse Drama
Opening on August 11 for three schools performances and two
public ones is We are still marching,
a new dance work commissioned by The Playhouse Company to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the Women’s March on Parliament in 1956. Choreographed by
Sunnyboy Motau of Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM), the production will
feature two award-winning dance companies: The Playhouse Dance Residency and
MIDM. The piece explores the struggles faced by women in South Africa and
neighbouring countries from the apartheid era until the present day. It is a
reminder of incidents such as the Women's March, the bus boycott and the recent
mass #FeesMustFall campaign, and of the fact that even 22 years after the first
democratic elections in South Africa, the struggle continues and women are
still marching.
We are still marching
is a celebration of women, their lives and their commitment, and promises an
exciting, memorable experience for all lovers of dance. Motau was named one of
the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2015, and a work he
co-choreographed was named one of the top three works of the 2015 Dance
Umbrella.
We are still marching
will be staged for schools on August 11 at 09h30 and 12h00, and on August 12 at
09h30. Tickets at R30 per learner for the schools performances can be obtained
by contacting Dawn on 031 369 9407.
Public performances will take place on August 12 at 19h30
and on August 13 at 14h30. Tickets R80 booked through Computicket.
Open Mic &
Sundowners: August 12 at 16h30 in the Playhouse Grand Foyer. Free entry!
On August 12 from 16h30 in the Playhouse Grand Foyer,
Bongani Mavuso will facilitate an Open Mic session with some of KZN’s top
artists of the spoken word, followed by a performance by musician Thobeka Langa
and her band in The Playhouse Company’s regular Sundowners slot.
Pietermaritzburg jazz vocalist Thobeka Langa (27) specialized in jazz and
popular music during her studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has shared
the stage with several high profile artists such as Lira, Judith Sephuma,
Ronnie Jordan, MiCasa, and Ernie Smith. Anyone wishing to take part in the Open
Mic session should call or email Bongani Mavuso on 082 066 3099 or Mavuso76@gmail.com no later than 12h00 on August
8.
Test-Driving the Arts:
August 13 at 10h00 in the Playhouse Entrance.
Free!
Saturday August 13 is a busy day for the Festival. First up
at 10h00 is another in The Playhouse Company’s regular Test Driving the Arts
concerts outside the front of the Playhouse, this time featuring Zandile’s
Women Drummers and Mzansi Arts Development. The performance is free of charge.
Dance Workshops with
Moving Into Dance Mophatong: August 13 at 10h00
The award-winning Moving Into Dance Mophatong will conduct
two of their renowned Afro fusion dance workshops at the Playhouse. This lively
journey towards contemporary dance promises a fun-filled morning that will take
participants’ bodies on a physical journey through the unique spirit and
history of contemporary African movement and dance, while participants learn
valuable warm-up skills, dance techniques, and a thrilling fusion of African
dance styles. Tickets R20 per participant. Booking is essential through Dawn on
031 369 9407.
I Took A Stand: August
13 at 12h00
Commissioned and presented by The Playhouse Company, I Took A Stand is a semi-staged
reading of a play based on the stories of women who were affected by or
participated in the 1956 Women’s March to Parliament. This will be interspersed
with songs of freedom performed by the Clermont Choir and the KZN Philharmonic
Orchestra. The scriptwriter is Thuli Zuma, and the director is Edmund Mhlongo.
At the end of the performance, stalwarts of the South African women’s struggle,
including Department of Arts & Culture Deputy Minister Ms Rejoice
Mabudafhasi, Ms Ella Gandhi, Ms Jill Nicholson and Ms Joanne Adams, with
facilitator Ms Thobile Nxumalo, will engage in dialogue in front of the
audience, who will be invited to participate in the discussion. Free entry, but
seats need to be reserved by calling Dawn on (031) 369 9407
Sundowners Concert:
August 13 at 17h00. Free entry!
At 17h00 in the Main Foyer, The Playhouse Company’s regular
Sundowners Concert will feature a double bill of the band Afro Soul and singer
Skye Wanda, along with some of the province’s top performance poets. The
three-piece Afro Soul is made up of Surgent Malishe (aka Lion Lish), Sabelo
Ngema (aka Jakalase) and Thandeka Zulu (aka Mujeetha). The Durban-based band
has won numerous awards, including two SATMAs and a Metro FM Award, and has
three albums to its name. Skye Wanda is a vocalist and rapper who fuses jazz,
gospel, R&B, neo-soul and hip hop to create her distinctive style and
sound, all finished off with catchy melodies and fresh lyrics.
Girls Nite Out Comedy:
August 13 at 20h00
The day ends on a funny note in the Playhouse Opera Theatre
with Girls Nite Out Comedy, an
all-woman explosion of laughter featuring Mel Jones, Lindzy Msimang, Nina Haste
and Shimmy Isaacs, and directed by Monwabisi Grootboom. Tickets R130 and R150 booked
at Computicket.. After the show, Festival-goers can continue to have fun at the
Festival After-Party with KZN’s top DJs.
ARTS ASPIRE
ORGANISATION PRESENTATIONS:
Arts Aspire Organisation, a new theatre company currently
based in The Playhouse Company’s Cellar Theatre, will present three productions
in the Playhouse Cellar as part of the Company’s South African Women’s Arts
Festival Fringe.
Blood, Sweat and
Nothing: August 13 @ 18h00 & August 14 @ 15h00
Written and directed by Xolani Dlongolo and performed by
Kholeka Madulini, Blood, Sweat and
Nothing takes audiences through the story of a female ex-Umkhonto weSizwe
operative called Gcinizwe Khumalo who lost both her parents while she was in
exile. After 15 years in exile, she was happy to come back to South Africa only
to find that it was not what she thought it would be and that life is hard even
for those who fought for the liberation of the country. This sensitive story is
told through powerful monologues, flashbacks and music.
Between Labour and
Prayer: August 17 at 18h00 & August 18 at 15h00
Written by Simo Mpapa Mjola and directed by Khutjo Green, Between Labour and Prayer looks at the
stories of enslaved, objectified and mutilated women who work on a corn farm.
It has been a number of years since ownership of the farm changed hands yet
nothing has really changed at the farm, even though the new owner is a Black
man, Mshengu Shabalala. His laws are still the same as Baas Koekemoor: they are
still forced to wear pinafores, doeks, petticoats, and are obliged to wear
colourful frocks in Spring to complement the season. The new boss is now
perceived by the women as a manipulative, heartless, corrupt and power-hungry
‘Baas Koekemoor’ in a Black man’s skin. The play uses the spoken word,
monologues, music and physical movement to carry the narrative.
Thabitha (my African
princess): August 19 at 18h00 & August 20 at 15h00
Written and directed by Thandanani UNgonyama Qwabe, Thabitha
is a story of truth and reconciling with oneself as a powerful woman. It is
told through story-telling, where a young woman tells her side of her story of
being what women need to be. It is a story of women’s power, dignity and love.
For further
information or to book, contact Dawn on 031 369 9407 or the Playhouse Box
Office on 031 369 9596/9540.
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