Do you have small people? Do you have young
teenagers? Do you hope that you can bring them to the Hilton Arts Festival? The
answer is … YES!
There is a wide variety of entertaining and
educational options open to you at this year’s festival, running from September
14 to 16, 2018, in the grounds of Hilton College.
The festival has, again, partnered with Assitej
SA to bring the best possible theatre for young people to KZN for the weekend.
Assitej is an international umbrella organisation for youth theatre. It fosters
and generates work specifically designed for the young with the aim to educate,
stimulate and entertain though performance and workshops.
This year we can offer you all these options.
September 14, 2018, is the festival’s Jongosi
day, devoted entirely to youth theatre. Already very heavily booked, anyone
wishing to have a structured day’s theatre for children from Grades 6 to 12
should contact admin@hiltonfestival.co.za to sign up. The cost is R375 for the
whole day, consisting of three productions and a variety of workshop / lecture
options. For further details see www.hiltonfestival.co.za
Then there is the festival itself. Within the
area surrounding the Music Block there are pony rides, a jumping castle and a
craft area as well as a child-friendly tea garden and pancake outlet.
The following options, all presented by Assitej
SA, are open to you.
CHIFFONADE
Chiffonade is a dance performance specifically
made for toddlers and young children. The piece is created by established
French choreographer Michelle Dhallu of Carré Blanc Cie and has toured
extensively in Europe and around the globe receiving glowing reviews. As dance
critic Mary Brennan says “The hurly burly of the Fringe (Edinburgh) doesn’t
always feel a welcoming habitat for very young children, nonetheless there are
wee gems for early year’s theatre-goers. Chiffonade
is one of them… A ginormous squishy ball of many colours sits alone on the
stage. It’s actually the patchwork house of a mercurial sprite who gives the
sphere lively legs, turns it into a snail-shell home, and finally wriggles out
of it into the Big World.” The dance piece is given new life as Dhallu partners
with Assitej SA and acclaimed Vuyani Dance Theatre performer Lulu Mhlangeni to
provide a unique South African take on the work. Chiffonade unfolds with fabrics as its raw materials – fabrics you
can touch, crumple up, feel and fold, fabrics you can wear or disguise yourself
in and which condition the way other people see us. But Chiffonade also evokes emancipation, with the chrysalis of a child
growing and growing until it becomes an adult.
September 15 at 12h00 and 13h30
September 16 at 10h00
Ticket Price: R50.00
Venue: Music Block (Unreserved Seating)
Age: Under 10’s (incl. 2, 3 And 4 Year Olds)
Running Time: 40 Mins
NARRATIVE DREAMS
Two boys from different worlds puzzle their way
through the tumultuous, playful years of childhood in search of friendship and
acceptance. As Morena and David grow into adolescence, they try to make sense
of the world into which they are moving, wondering whether they can ever
realize their dreams. The play explores the nature of childhood, a stage in
life often described as utopian, full of wonder and endless jollyness. The boys
challenge this notion and reveal aspects seldom seen in childhood: Loss,
loneliness, longing and hardship. The boys also remind us of the resilience of
youth, of the audacity to dream and transcend, to give and inspire. Narrative Dreams is a play written by
Lereko Mfono and directed by international award-winning director and actor
Omphile Molusi. The play was developed through Assitej South Africa’s
‘Inspiring a Generation’ programme, where Lereko formed part of a selection of
four young writers chosen to create work especially for the young. It made its
premiere at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown 2014, winning a Standard
Bank Ovation award.
September 15 at 10h00
September 16 at 12h00
Ticket Price: R50
Venue: Music Block (Unreserved Seating)
Age: Suit 10 – 14 Years
Running Time: 60 Mins
YOU SUCK AND OTHER INESCAPABLE TRUTHS
This play tells the tale of the spirited
misadventures of a Grade 9 Afrikaans pupil/underdog, Prettina, and her crucial
survival advice as a minority in an Anglophile high school. It's about falling
apart, fitting in and getting even. It's also hilariously funny with Klara van
Wyk's portrayal of the gum-snapping, rambunctious teen earning her a
Fleur-du-Cap and Fresh Fringe nomination as well as a Standard Bank Ovation
award at the National Arts Festival in 2016. You Suck has also recently completed a successful bullying-awareness
tour where it was performed to more than 30 schools in and around South Africa.
Klara van Wyk is an actress, clown, writer and student trained by Philippe
Gaulier. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Stellenbosch
specializing in clowning. Francesco Nassimbeni is an interdisciplinary
performing arts practitioner. He recently completed a Masters in Theatre-Making
at UCT, studying the overlap between graphic design and performance. "The
manner in which Van Wyk invests the audience in Prettina's experiences, both as
a writer and a performer, is masterful and the results - organic comedy and
genuine pathos - are quite something to experience." - David Fick,
Broadway World. “Kids went bananas for it” - Daily Maverick
September 15 at 10h00
September 16 at 13:30
Ticket Price: R50
Venue: Drama Centre (Unreserved Seating)
Age: 14+
Running Time: 45 Mins
Assitej is also offering workshops. There is no
pre-booking. R30 at the door of the Band Room (in the Music Block) will get you
a ticket for these workshops.
Playwrights Who Play is a workshop by
Lereko Mfono about beginning the process of writing through fun physical
activities. It unleashes creativity and sets the stage for all aspirant
playwrights to build their masterpieces.
September 15 at 13h00
September 16 at 13h30
Age: All
Running Time: Variable According To Age (60 To
90 Mins)
THE POWER OF PLAY!
Assitej SA works to delight and engage children
and young people through performance, art and creative play. They will be
presenting workshops for young audiences directly after their family
productions at the festival. Actor-facilitators will create a safe environment
in which children can dress up and create a mini dramatic and fantasy play,
where they can become various characters and exercise their imaginations. Come
join the fun!
September 15 at 10h00; 14h45 and 16h00
September 16 at 11h45
Age: All
Running Time: Variable depending on age (60 To
90 Mins)
YOU SUCK WORKSHOP
Klara van Wyk will run a workshop in using the
arts and clowning to deal with any “suckishness” the world might have in store.
Create your own clown and liberate your inner funny!
September 15 at 11h15
September 16 at 10h00
Age: All
Running Time: Variable according to ages (60 To
90 Mins)
So … bring your children along! join the fun!
For more information, visit
http://www.hiltonfestival.co.za/ or like the Facebook page, Hilton Arts
Festival. Follow on Twitter @HiltonFest and Instagram.
All enquiries on 033 383 0126 / 7 or
tickets@hiltoncollege.com.
The 26th annual Hilton Arts Festival will run
from September 14 to 16, 2018. The full programme can be found on
www.hiltonfestival.co.za Online bookings are open and programmes are available
from various outlets in KZN. Refer to the website to see where you can collect
a hard copy.
The festival would not be possible without the
generous support of Hilton College, Tiso Black Star, Grindrod Bank, Black
Coffee Design, DWR Distribution, Extreme Events, Bidvest Car Rental, KZN Dept
of Arts & Culture, Redlands Hotel, Assitej South Africa, Loud Crowd, Sappi,
BASA, Corona and Capital Media.
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