There's plenty to see on the National Arts Festival’s Watchlist but be sure to catch all the Standard Bank Ovation Award winners on the line-up and check out some of these top shows:
Inspired by the rock and boy bands of the past, Followspot's first online production Man Band performs barbershop renditions of classic beats, ballads and breakouts along with their signature comedy snippets. Followspot Productions have been rocking the Festival for over 10 years - so be sure to catch this virtual show!
Mma Weee! is a hard-hitting dance production raising awareness around the violence and abuse of children in South Africa. Inspired by events surrounding the Nicholas Ninow (Dros Rapist) case, where a 7-year-old was raped a few metres away from her mother’s sight in a public bathroom, the production asks who do we babysit – children or abusive men?
In the short film Township Talks: The Suitcase, Thami aka Mbongo looks at the life of ordinary South African youth when exposed to the world of drugs, crime and gangsterism and scrutinises the choices these youth make. The film is in isiXhosa with English subtitles.
There are a number of family shows to catch on the vFRINGE. Snuggle up with the little ones and watch Cherry's Magic Fun Show where you can help a ditsy clown get into the act with hats, silly magic tricks and balloons. Her interactive shows have entertained children from ages 3 to 103! People from prisoners to presidents (including Nelson Mandela) - and even those who are ill - enjoy her gentle humour. Now you can join in with crazy captions at home, too.
There's plenty more to choose from, so go on and have some fun selecting a few to watch on the vFRINGE
Farewell to Kate Davies
The festival bids farewell to
Administrative Director, Kate Davies, who has just marked her 25th year with
the NAF. After a quarter of a century of tireless service to the Festival, the
NAF team would like to thank her for everything she has done for artists,
audiences and her team over the last 25 years. She will truly be missed by so
many!
Making a Festival in 100 Days
"The thing about the National Arts
Festival is that it is so much bigger than any single person. It seems to find
a way to happen no matter what - or whether you are ready or not. I think that
having a new team at the helm meant we were able to be even more adaptable to
the new environment and not bound by any previous ways of working. That’s not
to say it was easy; it was really, really hard. Having done this Festival with
this team though makes me look forward to doing another one" says Nicci
Spalding, National Arts Festival Technical Director.
Artist
Call: An Online Stage for All
Nqobile from Team NAF calls for artists to
put their work on the vFRINGE. It won't cost a thing!
Sign up right here!
(To link direct to the National Arts Festival site click on the large banner that runs across the top of this blog or visit https://www.nationalartsfestival.co.za or visit Facebook: www.facebook.com/nationalartsfestival; Twitter: @artsfestival or Instagram: nationalartsfestival)
Posts
