(Lyle Buxton, Tshepo Ncokoane, Amanda Kunene & Sam Landers. Pic by Val Adamson)
Durban audiences filled up Seabrooke’s Theatre at Durban High School this past weekend to witness an exciting evening of original theatrical songs. Featuring 20 new songs, from 21 local theatre composers, the “Cabaret and Beyond” Festival Showcase is the culmination of a three-month writing collective facilitated by Roland Perold, at the behest of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The second weekend of the showcase will run from October 22 to 24 at Seabrooke’s Theatre and is sold out. An extra performance is made available for sale on Saturday October 23 at 15h00 for which tickets are still available.
“What an absolute pleasure to have been received with such enthusiasm by the public. Original work is a hard sell in this genre but thanks to the strength of writing and phenomenal performances word is spreading like wildfire and we are about to run out of available seats! A great problem to have.” says Perold.
A talented cast of four comprising Amanda Kunene, Sam Landers, Tshepo Ncokoane and Lyle Buxton were guided through the new material by musical director and show pianist Wessel Odendaal, while the design was in the talented hands of Karabo Legoabe Mtshali, recently recognised in the “Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2021” to watch out for.
Composers for this project hail from across South Africa with participants from Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Gqeberha where a partnership with the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex sees two full length one-act musicals being premiered in that city in March, 2022. Next week two composers (or writing teams) whose work show promise for future development will be announced and they will receive grants to develop their ideas into a project that will be realised in conjunction with the CCA.
CAB Festival is an initiative that seeks to showcase excellence in new music theatre writing and provide a first outlet for these works. As the composers nurture their material the audience is encouraged to engage, reflect, laugh, cry and become part of the burgeoning landscape for development of the genre locally.
More information about the composers can be found at: https://www.cabfestival.com/the-creatives/
All COVID 19 protocols will be observed. Tickets R100 with a two-for-one concession available to students. Bookings can be made at:
https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1508544749
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