(Emily Child & Janna
Ramos-Violante in “Contractions”)
KZN’s
premier arts festival: the 24th annual Hilton Arts Festival will once again be hosted in the picturesque
Hilton College from September 16 to 18, 2016.
The
festival invites the crème-de-la-crème of what is hot and happening in the
creative industries in South Africa: theatre; dance; comedy; musical theatre;
family theatre; classical music; music revue; band-music; visual art and
crafts, as well as a series of mind-scape lectures, events and discussions.
The three
day festival caters for everyone, young and old – including a huge market, book
stalls and great food.
There are two
flagship productions this year: The Grindrod Bank Flagship production is Blonde
Poison: written by South African playwright Gail Louw which reunites
brilliant actress Fiona Ramsay and director Janna Ramos-Violante in a play
about beauty, treachery and the high price of survival.
The Independent Newspapers Flagship
Production is the timeless classic, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, dubbed
by the New York Times as “A
joyous hymn to human nature” produced and expertly lit by
Mannie Manim, directed by John Kani and starring Mncedisi Shabangu and Atwanda
Kani.
Other dramas to
look out for are:
Dallae Story: a non-verbal performance from Korea involving puppets, theatrical
movement, traditional dance and music, shadow theatre and projection.
Pay Back the Curry: Rob van Vuuren directs multi-talented
Daniel Richards in a new Mike van Graan wry comedy which unpacks a myriad
topical themes.
Contractions: Janna Ramos-Violante and Emily Child star
in this sharp, wily and resolutely-potent dark-comedy.
Dead Yellow Sands is a return to minimalism: an actor lit
with sophisticatedly simple lighting speaking the stories he has lived. Written
and performed by Graham Weir, direction is by Bo Petersen and lighting design
by Darron Araujo.
Sillage is a disquieting story of domesticity between a mother and daughter
packing up their family home.
The
Graveyard
is a
series of musings, scenes, flashbacks, and interactions, a man’s past and
family life are uncovered.
Other interesting
features of this year’s festival include satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys who brings
his brilliant one-man memoir Echo of a Noise to the
festival, and there is a screening of the documentary about his life: Nobody’s
Died Laughing followed by a Q&A.
Jemma Kahn brings
two productions for grown-ups, both in the Japanese story telling Kamishibai
style: We Didn’t come to Hell for the Croissants and In
Bocca al Lupo; Pietermaritzburg actors TQ
Zondi and Mpilo Nzimande will both be in three productions, and Rob van Vuuren
performs in a comedy, a family show and directs the Mike van Graan comedy.
There are
three mini festivals embedded in the main programme: the Jongosi schools programme taking place
for one day only: September 16 for both senior primary and high school
learners; Christopher Duigan’s Music
Revival series hosts a comprehensive concert programme in the school
chapel with an underlying Beethoven motif throughout the festival weekend; and
Assetej hosts a programme of theatre for young audiences.
For lovers
of orchestral music: the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra will present two
concerts – both conducted by maestro Richard Cock: Frank Sinatra and Friends
featuring soloist Nic Nicolaidis; and in chapel, members of the KZN Phil will
perform the charming Peter and Wolf and other music for children
under the age of 95. Richard Cock will also present a very
entertaining and anecdote-filled presentation, Conduct Unbecoming, as part of the lecture series. The
Pietermaritzburg City Orchestra will perform al-fresco in a programme of
several well-known classical pieces.
The
festival will take place in the grounds of the Hilton College from September 16
to 18, 2016.
The festival would
not be possible without: Hilton College; Independent Newspapers; Grindrod Bank;
Black Coffee; PWC; DWR; Assetej; KZN Dept. of Arts & Culture; SAB Castle
Lite; Bidvest Car Rental; Zultrans; Marriott (for Music Revival); BASA; Loud
Crowd; Indwe Risk Management and SAPPI.
For more
information visit http://www.hiltonfestival.co.za/ or like the Facebook page, Hilton
Arts Festival. Follow on Twitter @HiltonFest or download the free APP Hilton Arts Festival for both Android
and IOS.
All enquiries on
033 383 0126 / 7 or festival@hiltoncollege.com Booking enquiries to tickets@hiltoncollege.com
Posts
