PLAYHOUSE COMPANY NEW STAGES 2022

Lovers of theatre are in for a treat as The Playhouse Company announces the programme for its annual New Stages Season which will run in the landmark city centre arts complex from May 11 to 28, 2022.

After a lockdown-induced dearth of regular quality live performance in Durban, the New Stages programme is a welcome fix for the city’s culturally deprived theatre lovers

“The New Stages Festival typically presents South African music, dance and drama productions that are creative, original and thought-provoking as well as providing exciting performance opportunities for the wide range of artists who get appear on our stages while contributing to the sustainability of the arts as an industry,” says Linda Bukhosini, Chief Executive Officer, and Artistic Director.

“In curating the festival each year, we are mindful of the brief we hold as an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, to uphold our obligation with regard to contributing towards a healthy nation building ethic, and to follow principles that encourage social cohesion through the shows we present to our public.”

Shaka Zulu: The Gaping Wound

 The Playhouse Company in Association with The South African State Theatre present the flagship musical Shaka Zulu: The Gaping Wound, written by the late revered playwright Bongani Linda. Award-winning and renowned stage, film, and television Actor and Director Meshack Mavuso-Magabane is directing the epic theatre musical Shaka Zulu: The Gaping Wound, starring Thembinkosi Chagwe (as Shaka Zulu), Nkanyiso Bhengu (Dingane), Mduduzi Mabaso (Mshongweni) and many more.

 Shaka Zulu: The Gaping Wound tells the story of the world-renowned warrior king, uShaka ka Senzangakhona who was a visionary, a patriot, a prophet, a diplomat, a military strategist, a nationalist, and a nation-builder who wanted to establish one strong and inclusive nation in southern Africa. The story is told through the eyes of a praise singer, taking audiences on a journey of historical imagination to the glorious past and leading them back through exhilarating song, praise poetry and energetic Zulu dancing to a proudly and unapologetically Pan-African future that the ancestors envisaged. 

The thrilling musical production comprises a 40 star-studded cast, which is backed by an eight-piece band, in which award-winning musicians Simphiwe Skhakhane and Zakhele Mabena are musical directors. 

Shaka Zulu: The Gaping Wound will be on stage in the Playhouse Opera from May 25 to 28. Opening Night festivities will include a themed dress code of Traditional attires. Tickets will be at only R120. 

The Ugly Noo Noo 

Two drama productions on show are: The Ugly Noo Noo, the fabulous socio-political comic satire, written and first performed by Andrew Buckland. It has been staged regularly for 35 years and is as topical and popular now as when it premiered in 1988.

This staging features Durban actor, Mpilo Straw Nzimande as the ambitious Parktown Prawn with political aspirations and is directed by Peter Mitchell. The Ugly Noo Noo is solo physical theatre at its most powerful, looking at the mythology of fear and how that fear compounds itself by robbing us of our ability to empathise and communicate. 

The Ugly Noo Noo will be staged in The Loft from May 11 to 15, tickets at R90 

Brutal Legacy 

The second drama production is Brutal Legacy – inspired by former television anchor and radio personality Tracy Going's memoir detailing how she grew up witnessing her mother suffer abuse at the hands of her violent, alcoholic father and later – in the glare of the national news spotlight – abuse she later experienced at the hands of a romantic partner. 

Searing, heart-breaking, triumphant, Brutal Legacy is for anyone who's survived through trauma and found the strength to stand up again. It is directed by award winning Lesedi Job, who heard Going being interviewed, bought a copy of her book, and teamed up with actress Natasha Sutherland, who wrote the script, to adapt it for the stage. 

Sutherland plays contemporary Tracy, alongside Jessica Wolhuter, playing the younger Tracy as she relives her story. Charlie Bougenon plays her boyfriend who evolves from being charming and flirtatious, to becoming a terrifying and vicious abuser. It combines succinctly in 75 min, the life story of the television and radio broadcaster. 

Brutal Legacy will be staged in The Playhouse Loft from May 19 to 22. 

Udodana 

Two dance-focused productions are on the bill: Musa Hlatshwayo's Udodana premiered at the 2018 National Arts Festival's main dance programme where Hlatshwayo was the Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for Dance for 2018. Exploring issues of black masculinities, the work features Hlatshwayo himself and his company of 10 all-male multi-skilled ensemble who operate under the name Mhayise Productions. 

Udodana will be staged in the Grand Foyer from May 25 to 28, tickets at R90.

Origins 

The second dance and puppetry focused production is Origins which tells the story of a young girl, Ezileh and her relationship with her father Monwabisi. The work follows the child’s development and her responses to the shifting and increasingly difficult relationship with her father.

In 2019, Origins was showcased in Moscow and reviews were exceptional. Directed by Janni Young and Choreographed by Nkanyiso Kunene. Origins will be staged from May 19 to 21 in the Drama Theatre, tickets at R90.

Gender Based Violence community conversation

The Playhouse is responding to the global focus on Gender Based Violence (GBV), with a community conversation taking place on May 25 at 12 noon. Featuring Gil Harper, a GBV Activist holds sessions on how to deal with the effects and trauma caused by Gender Based Violence. Clinical Psychologist Rumbidzai Chidzonga, Musawenkosi Tshabalala director of Silencing the Screams will be taking audiences on a journey of how the young leaners reacted to the production that toured KZN Schools earlier this year.

Friday Sundowner concerts 

Honouring Africa Month during the festival, there will be two free Friday Sundowner concerts in the Cellar. On Friday May 13 there will be an Afro-soul / jazz fusion blend with music by Acoustiq Assassins and Mazwakhe Gumede. On Friday May 20, there will be pure jazz in the spotlight with music by Milkway Galaxy Band and Nonzwakazi and Band. MC for both Sundowners will be Page Ngwenya. RSVP’s by Wednesday 16h00 of the week of the show.

Test Driving the Arts sessions 

There will also be two separate Test Driving the Arts sessions: on May 17 and 24. On May 17 will be maskandi group Amajalimane coupled with indlamu group, Kangaroo, presented by Milton Gcwensa. On May 24, there will be a dance-focused programme. Ofeleba performing in the ingoma yezinsizwa nezintombi tradition, accompanied by singers, typically a rite of passage Ikusasa Elihle presented by Bheki Mbili. RSVPs by Friday 16h00 before the week of the show. 

For further productions information, booking details and performance times about all New Stages Productions, visit www.playhousecompany.com or follow social media pages Facebook @The Playhouse Company Instagram @durbanplayhouse Twitter @durbanplayhouse Tickets for all productions, available at https://www.webtickets.co.za/ or call The Playhouse Company Box Office (031) 369 9540 (office hours).

ARISE BENEFIT CONCERT UNITES THE INDUSTRY

In unprecedented manner, seven organisations in the cultural and creative sector have joined hands to stage a fundraising benefit concert for the affected communities in KZN on June 18, 2022. The Concert, which will have over 30 concerned artists performing, is targeting to attract 20,000 people, preferably at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, and aims to raise at least R10 million through ticket sales and pledges.

This concert comes after the devastating floods, resulted in 435 people losing their lives, 54 reported missing, 55 injured, 6 278 left homeless, 17,438 households destroyed,121,687 people affected and 7,490 people living in shelters.  A statement by the Premier of KZN, Hon. Sihle Zikalala, further indicated that the R1 billion relief fund set aside was not enough to address the extent of the damage and devastation caused by the floods,

The National Arts Council (NAC), in partnership with the SABC, Gearhouse SA, SAMRO, CAPASSO, SAMPRA, CCIFSA, CCIFSA KZN, Doo More Foundation, and supported by several concerned artists across the length and breadth of South Africa, have heeded the call to action and are joining hands to stage a Flood Benefit Concert on June 18, 2022, in Durban.

Commenting on why the NAC took the initiative and invited other sector entities to join hands, the Chairperson of the NAC, H.R.H. Princess Celenhle Dlamini said; “Firstly, as the National Arts Council, we would like to extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to all families who have lost their loved ones through this devastating period, as well as those injured and who have lost so much. We cannot even begin to imagine the grief, suffering and despair that the communities affected by these floods are enduring.

“As an organisation, all we have is our arts and cultural currency, which is the artistic community that we serve. So It was natural that our contribution to the two affected provinces (KZN and EC) could be made possible through bringing together the various arts industry organisations, artists, public and private sector to create this magical musical line up, that we hope will bring hope, joy and healing to all the affected victims.

“We are sincerely grateful to all organisations and individuals who are continuing to respond positively to our invitation to participate in this fundraising concert and we will continue to invite more organisations to join hands with the arts industry in this noble venture. All proceeds of the concert and monetary pledges will be given to the a charity organisation agreed between the parties and eThekwini Municipality”.

The SABC CEO, Madoda Mxakwe, said:  “Our role as the SABC is critical in providing reliable life-saving information and restoring the dignity of the citizens amid national disasters such as those witnessed in KwaZulu-Natal recently. As the SABC we are to link to various businesses and stakeholders who can assist during a disaster such as this one. The benefit concert aimed at raising funds to alleviate the catastrophic situation that befell KZN citizens is yet another opportunity for the SABC to positively impact our communities through our mandate, to ensure that vulnerable citizens are supported.”

Echoing the same sentiments on why they also raised their hands and participated in this noble venture, SAMRO Chairperson Nicholas Maweni, said: “Throughout history, musicians have been the voice of those in need, and in South Africa today there is no greater need than that of those affected by the catastrophic floods in KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape. SAMRO is proud to be part of this initiative to raise awareness and garner aid for those impacted, and to support our members in being their voice".

SAMPRA CEO, Pfanani Lishivha, adds: “As Africa’s leading Neighbouring Rights Collective Management Organisation, SAMPRA extends heartfelt condolences to friends and families who lost their loved ones, their homes and belongings in the floods that ravaged many homes in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Eastern Cape last month. It is our sincere wish that proceeds from this benefit concert will assist families who have suffered to much loss. As SAMPRA, we are proud to be part of this selfless project whose sole objective is to assist affected families and communities to rebuild and recover from the devastating floods.”

Without the technical expertise and audio-visual solution, a concert of this magnitude would not have been possible without the contribution by Gearhouse SA. The Chairperson of Gearhouse, Nkosinathi Biko, said; “Gearhouse is pleased to be part of this important initiative, aimed at bringing much-needed relief to our fellow citizens, who are victims of the recent floods in KZN and parts of the Eastern Cape. As with liberation, it is when all of us put our shoulder to the wheel that we shall be triumphant over our adversaries”.

Representing the cultural and creative sector in the Province, CCIFSA KZN joined in to express their gratitude for the initiative by the music industry and stated; “Our core mandate is to ensure that the creative sector plays a vital role in community support and developmental activities in areas of economy, business, governance and community affairs.

“We therefore commit our support to this initiative as it creates a platform to give back to those who need this help the most, as affected by the disaster. To the NAC, we highly appreciate your support during this period and we welcome every bit of assistance you offer to the KZN community.”

CAPASSO CEO, Jotam Matariro, said: “The devastating floods that hit and affected the people of Kwa-Zulu Natal claimed many lives and left many without homes. We would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to all families who lost their loved ones and were affected by the floods.

“When the call was made to be part of the Arise Benefit Concert, we heeded the call and as CAPASSO we offer our support to the concert that will assist those affected by the floods. As South Africa’s music mechanical rights and licensing organization, we pledge our support in aid to re-build and assist through our organisation who heart is founded by our composers, authors and publishers. The creative industry has united with the aim of supporting and coming to the aid of our people.”

Dr Sipho Sithole, stated that wide consultation with the sector was done to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive list of artists across genres agreed upon. A total of 34 artists, who upon being approached have raised their hands and made themselves available to perform at the Arise Benefit Concert, at the main stage  A further 17 artists and 4 MCs have presented by Dj Boonu’s Doo More Foundation to perform at a parallel stage within the stadium precinct.”

All hands are on deck to ensure that the concert raises R10 million from ticket sales and pledges, which will be channelled to the affected communities, through a charity organisation yet to be agreed upon by all parties concerned.  Twenty-percent (20%) from the funds raised will be earmarked to assist the artist community that was also affected by the floods.

TWO TONS O’ FUN: REVIEW

Tackling the psyche of an adolescent girl is a brave thing for a male writer to do, but Khumalo does it with aplomb, making Lerato lively, funny, sharp-eyed and poignant. (Review by Margaret von Klemperer, courtesy of The Witness)

Fred Khumalo is an author who continually surprises – he’s certainly not one to stick to a tried-and-tested formula. We’ve had his short stories, excursions into South African history with novels like Dancing the Death Drill and The Longest March and non-fiction. And now, with Two Tons O’ Fun, he gives us a coming-of-age novel, with a female protagonist.

 Tackling the psyche of an adolescent girl is a brave thing for a male writer to do, but Khumalo does it with aplomb, making Lerato lively, funny, sharp-eyed and poignant. The other strand of the story, intertwined with Lerato’s journey through adolescence, is life in Alexandra in all its violence, vigour and prejudice.

Lerato, who lives with her mother and two younger siblings, is 14 when we first meet her. Mother, June-Rose, is a hard living, tough woman, packing a knife in her bra and with an eye for any opportunity, legal or otherwise. Lerato runs with a tribe of ghetto girls who all live in the same yard, but she also meets Janine, another Alex resident but of a different kind. Janine and her mother, Professor Gugu Ngobese, have a smart home and a car and Janine goes to a private school. Slowly Lerato’s eyes are opened to other possibilities in life besides the ones she seemed to be trapped in – and she and Janine set themselves up as the Two Tons o’ Fun.

As Lerato develops, confronting the realities of her existence, including the township schadenfreude where other people’s misfortunes make some of the residents feel better about their situation, and the disastrous inadequacies of the education system, she grows up, becoming an assertive young woman, able to think for herself. It is a powerful portrait, combined with a strong plea for literacy and better education. The reader roots for Lerato, wanting her to overcome challenges and tragedy.

I was left with a sense that the ending was somewhat rushed. Khumalo draws his characters and their surroundings with meticulous care, but at the end things happen very quickly and unexpectedly, leaving the reader rather puzzled. It’s a pity, because, until that point Two Tons O’ Fun has been a fascinating read.

Two Tons O’ Fun is published by Umuzi. ISBN 987-1-4152-1088-8 - Margaret von Klemperer

ORIGINS AT MICHAELHOUSE

Origins is a puppet-dance production performed to live music. Created by Janni Younge, Nkanyiso Kunene and Derek Gripper, the performance weaves three mediums to evoke a human journey through artistic synthesis.

The production will be featured in the Playhouse New Stages programme before it moves to the KZN Midlands where it will run from May 26 to 28, 2022.

 Origins is the story of Ezileh, a girl finding her way to adulthood. Monwabisi, Ezileh’s only parent, is loving and attentive but holds the weight of responsibility in challenging circumstances with difficulty. It is the story of the impact we have on each other as human beings and about the strength of relationship. As Ezileh and her father face the vulnerability of being human, we see them make choices that define who they become. Origins uses visual metaphors and emotive movement and music to evoke the energy that pulls together and pushes us apart.

There is no performance medium as powerful as puppetry to bring the nuances of childhood to life on stage. This form allows profound access to the character of Ezileh as she navigates her childhood. Lyrical, visual sequences are combined with crisp, naturalistic puppetry, revealing the psychological world of the child.

 We begin our journey with Ezileh before her birth. The love and commitment that Monwabisi manifests towards his daughter is obscured as he struggles with difficult circumstances. Ezileh is a young girl who possesses the powerful gift of imagination which allows her to manifest magic. She starts life adored and placed at the centre of her father’s world. As his shifting attention shakes the security of her being, she increasingly draws on her own inner resources for strength as his apparent emotional distance grows. As she is propelled into life and builds her defences, her fragile magic threatens to vanish.

Finally, Ezileh is the one who recognises that if she forgives his human frailty, the love that she has been cut off from is still available to her and that she can own the spark of magic that is her birthright.

Origins runs in the Schlesinger Theatre, Michaelhouse, R103, Balgowan, 3275, from May 26 to 28 with performances at 19h30.

Tickets R120 booked through Quicket at https://www.quicket.co.za/events/172803-origins#/

DUT GRADUATION CEREMONIES

Faculty of Arts and Design and the Faculty of Applied Sciences graduation ceremonies will have its virtual on Monday, May 16, 2022.

The Durban University of Technology recently hosted the 2022 autumn virtual graduations. The six online ceremonies, three per day, were streamed via the DUT website: www.dut.ac.za

Graduands from the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment and from the Faculty of Health Sciences graduated on May 13, 2022. Meanwhile, the Faculty of Management Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Design and the Faculty of Applied Sciences will have its virtual graduation ceremonies today, May 16, 2022.

DUT will also host physical, in-person graduation events in July 2022. The University has confirmed that the Durban ceremonies will be staged at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) from July 11 to 20, 2022. The Midlands ceremonies will take place at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg between July 25 to 27, 2022.

The use of face masks is compulsory for all physical graduation events. DUT decided to continue with virtual graduations to afford graduates an opportunity to formally receive their qualifications since many require their degrees, diplomas and certificates to enter the job market.

A total of 9081 students will graduate from the class of 2021. DUT congratulates all graduates and looks forward to celebrating with them and their guests, when they host the physical graduation ceremonies in Durban and Pietermaritzburg this July.

For more information contact Noxolo Memela, Communications Manager, on 031 373 2845

ARTFLUENCE FESTIVAL WINNERS PAY IT FORWARD

The 2nd annual Artfluence Human Rights Festival, presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, opened on May 3, with the gracious announcement by the winners of the Artfluence Human Rights Awards that they would be using their prize monies to pay it forward. 

 Filmmaker Bev Ditsie said that the prize money she has received would be an injection for the foundation she launched to support emerging filmmakers. Ditsie was awarded the 2022 Artfluence Human Rights Champion Award in recognition of her decades of activism for access and equality. 

 Ahmed Kathrada Youth Programmes Manager, Irfaan Mangera, said that he would be using his prize money to develop programmes that can assist school teachers in promoting human rights initiatives. Mangera was awarded the 2022 Artfluence Human Rights Youth Activist Award. 

 The 2022 Artfluence Human Rights Award was presented to veteran poet, novelist and retired journalist Don Mattera in recognition of his several decades of commitment to human rights, activism and community development. A very frail Mattera has recently been discharged from hospital and is being cared for at his home. The Don Mattera Foundation will continue to build on his legacy.

“Our winners are more than just activists, champions, and advocates for human rights. They are also selfless moral leaders who believe in paying it forward so that others can continue to benefit from their reputable legacies. They represent the kind of moral leadership desperately needed in South Africa where corruption and criminality have tainted the characters of many of our political leadership”, said Ismail Mahomed, the Director of the Centre for Creative Arts.

The 2nd annual Artfluence Human Rights Festival was not only launched online but also live from the Mandela Capture Site in the uMngeni Municipal District. The site for the festival commemorates the 60th anniversary this year when Nelson Mandela was captured by the apartheid State. “Sixty years ago, Nelson Mandela was captured. 

Sixty years later, the State that he fought to liberate has been captured”, said Yusrah Bardien, the online programme's curator of the festival. 

This year’s festival is presented as a hybrid festival with both a series of online and live events. The Live in uMngeni programme presented at the Capture Site consists of multi-media exhibitions, a jazz concert, dance performances, film screenings, comedy, and art workshops. The Live in uMngeni programme opened with the exhibition uMongo Msindo. uMongo Msindo aims to commemorate, showcase and bring the story of some of the unique musical heritage of KwaZulu-Natal to life. It is a multi-fold undertaking that is in equal parts archival and exhibitionary. It invites audiences and custodians of age-old music traditions on a sojourn of music-making and consumption, with a particular focus on the relationship between player and instrument. Both entities conjoin to form a vessel that transmits sound, heritage and frequencies. 

Speaking on behalf of the uMngeni Municipality, Councillor Chris Pappas said, “artists help us understand where we come from and where we are going”. He added that the Capture Site was a significant heritage site that can play a vital role in heritage education and boost the uMngeni Municipality's cultural economy. 

The 2022 Festival is supported by the uMngeni Municipality and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The festival is presented in partnership with uMngeni Tourism and the Nelson Mandela Capture Site. The festival continued until May 8. The entire online and Live in uMngeni programme is available at artfluence.ukzn.ac.za and the festival can be followed on social media @artfluencefest

POP OPERA CONCERT

(Right: Natalie Rungan)

Enjoy a glorious autumn afternoon outside in the company of hundreds of musicians - the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, with soloists Natalie Rungan and Njabulo Nzuza, and the KZN Youth Wind Band; on the Glenwood High School Dixon’s Field on May 22 at 15h00 (doors open 14h00)

The Siza Foundation, the proactive CSI hub of The Durban based Samuels Group – key players in the logistics, sales and marketing of petroleum related products and vehicle servicing industry in South Africa – is hosting the event as part of their arts support programme.

(Left: Njabulo Nzuza)

“While the weather is so glorious, we wanted to enjoy a music-filled afternoon and capitalise on these glorious autumn days. We want to be outdoors, with special people and engage – both with friends and with music. We have all missed concerts and events, so decided to host a really special family-friendly musical afternoon,” enthused, Darin Samuels.

The idea is to bring along a picnic and blankets and enjoy a lazy alfresco musical afternoon.

Tickets R150 (R100 children). Book in advance or pay at the door.

For more information contact Laiken on Mobile: 067 411 1647, Whatsapp: 067 411 1647, e-mail: laiken@samuels.co.za or book and pay at Glenwood Finance Office on 031 205 5241 or e-mail: finance@glenwoodhighschool.co.za

 

NIBS VAN DER SPUY SOLO ALBUM TOUR

(Right: Nibs van der Spuy)

Nibs van der Spuy’s first solo album in seven years, Maiden of the River, went 'Live' on all streaming platforms on May 4. 

The special edition CD is also now available on https://nibsvanderspuy.bandcamp.com/ and includes an almost eight-minute song, Trams and angels not available on any of the streaming platforms.

“The music was written during the first lock-down along the Lisbon Coast. I used to escape after dark each night on my bicycle and guitar and found a quiet spot on the steps of an 18th century chapel, perched on top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. This is where the musical ideas began to flow in almost perfect harmony to my surroundings,” says van der Spuy.

Van der Spuy is touring with Maiden of the river and KZN dates and venues are as follows:

May 19 at 18h30: Zululand Yacht Club, Richards Bay, KZN - 1 Commodores Close, Meerensee, Richards Bay. Bookings: contact Dudu at 035 788 0256

May 20: Westville Theatre Club, 6 St James Ave. (Westville Pool), Westville, KZN. 

Tickets: R150. Doors open at 19h00 for the 19h30 show. Bring picnic baskets and wine.

Booking: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/173952-nibs-van-der-spuy/

 

May 21. St. Clements, 191 Musgrave Road, Durban

Tickets R120, doors open 18h00

Bookings: 031 202 2511 or foodsmart@durbs.com

 

May 26. Summerhill Guest Estate, 9 Belvedale Road, Cowies Hill, Pinetown, 3610

Bookings: 07635291966 or info@summerhillkzn.com

 

June 4 at 18h30. Mushroom Farm, 11 Karkloof Road, Howick, KZN Midlands

Tickets R150

Bookings: info@theoldmushroomfarm.co.za or call 060 470 1218

SUPPORT FROM GATEWAY FOR UNITY PERFORMING ARTS GROUP

 (Above: Bonita Bierbaum & Casey Swales perform at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping)

Talent and space collide in Gateway and Performance Group’s Collab.

Gateway Theatre of Shopping recently extended a temporary supporting arm to UNITY’s performing arts group. Operating for five years, UNITY has over 300 artists from different genres on its books.

Covid-19 restrictions over the past two years dealt a devastating blow to performers - closing theatres, cancelling events and leaving many talented and passionate individuals with no income, or venues in which to rehearse or perform.

“It has been heart-breaking to see the impact the pandemic has had on the performing arts sector,” says Gateway Theatre of Shopping Marketing Manager, Michelle Shelley. “UNITY’s approach to Gateway was not to look for sympathy, but opportunity. And, within weeks, they made the provisional space magically come to life.”

(Jia Raghavjee & Priyen Naidoo perform outside at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping)

Gateway is providing an interim venue for UNITY which acts as a central hub for their artists, a creative space for a smorgasbord of opportunities to get involved.  From painting to poetry, dance to yoga and even creative writing classes – there is something for everyone, both with experience or without. Situated on the first floor next to CTFM, the space now sees an array of talents, from contemporary, ballet and hip hop, to some unique dance disciplines’ such as am a piano, burlesque and fire spinning.

“Our mission is to connect local artists with the public, provide a home base for artists and to be that first-stop for people wanting to break into the Arts. The performing arts is not a closed shop, and we live that with exhibitions, open classes and dance classes,” says UNITY founder, Jemma van Breda. “Content creation has been a lifeline during Covid and we’re expanding that as the demand increases.”

UNITY dancers and choreographers have already collaborated on several content projects for Gateway – providing a creative outlet for artists, exposure and work for several individuals who have been without during the pandemic.

“As a THEATRE of shopping, we love to bring our events and attractions to life through creative content sharing. UNITY brings a unique perspective on visual art – its…Umhlanga-style, Gateway-style, UNITY-style and an all-round visual treat!” says Shelley.

To get in touch with Unity and find out more about their classes, follow them on Instagram @UnityPerformingArts or visit their website www.unitysouthafrica.com 

FOM CONCERT WITH KZNYO

(Above: The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Orchestra)

Friends of Music will present the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Orchestra on May 22, 2022.

The orchestra comprises 65 talented young musicians from all around KZN province.

The hour-long concert will be an exciting one with music encompassing a variety of genres. There will be pieces from the Romantic period, from ballets, operas and movies and musicals and is excellent family entertainment.

Included in the programme are such pieces as The Capriccio Espagnole by Rimsky Korsakoff, music from Bizet’s Carmen and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, music from The Greatest Showman and some jazz and rock items including Bohemian Rhapsody, What a Wonderful World, The Pink Panther and the ever-popular Sway, to name a few.

Conducted by Lyk Temmingh and presented by Cathy Peacock the morning concert will send you away with a tune in your hearts.

Bring the whole family and come and support the youngsters and be enthralled by their orchestral delights.

Tickets: R120 (R100 FOM members, R75 Children) available at the door.

The concert will take place on May 22, at 11h30 at the Durban Jewish Centre, 44 KE Masinga Road in Durban. There is safe parking. For more information contact Keith on 071 505 1021 or visit http://www.friendsofmusic.co.za

TIME IS A BROKEN UMBRELLA

 

Time Is A Broken Umbrella is running at the KZNSA Gallery until June 26, 2022.

This is an exhibition without a curator. Or, this is an exhibition with at least nine curators: Abri de Swardt, Adrian Fortuin, Hedwig Barry, Jarrett Erasmus, Khotso Motsoeneng, Matty Monethi, Nyakallo Maleke, Robyn Penn, Tzung-Hui Lauren Lee with writing by Chloë Reid

Facilitated by FORMS Gallery, Time is a Broken Umbrella is an experiment that sets out to see if it is possible to disperse and decentralise curatorial logic and to substitute the contained convolutions of a single brain for a thinking network, or a networked thinking.

The exhibition proposes a kind of score or playbook for an exercise: nine artists embarked on this project with the same brief, to curate themselves, collectively, into an exhibition. They were invited to listen to and look at each other’s practices, to mediate their own and each other’s work, and to anticipate each other’s final outputs with their own, all in the hope that what emerges in the final public display has some sort of legibility or significance, if not coherence.

The curators describe the event: “It’s a highly analogue, imperfect approximation of machine learning. We are together pretending to be a computer, making something in a circumscribed real world that will hopefully transcend us all. It’s role-play, it’s grass growing, wind blowing kind of stuff. It’s ephemeral like the spinning beach ball of death when your operating system is seven years out of date, and its material, like the hard drive that ultimately does crash.

“This exercise is about questioning what counts as an exhibition and who counts as a curator. Who mediates art and why and how, and what roles do institutions, artists and galleries have and contest in this economy?”

The participants are nine artists, two institutions, one writer, one gallerist, and a veiled, also dispersed tactical unit whose labour gives this entity the shape of an exhibition: installation technicians, printers, administrators, couriers, bookkeepers, receptionists, security guards and designers. There may be no curator, but there is a long curatorial process that crosses and is crossed by all of these participants at different points.

The outcome of this exercise is an exhibition of 20 artworks, many of which have never before been shown, others of which are selected from existing bodies of work. Artist and writer Chloë Reid was invited to respond to the exhibition's premise and process through a textual contribution, which will be published alongside the exhibition. Several themes and motifs emerge in the juxtapositions that these elements bring about: rhizomes, fluids, floating clouds, mind-maps, pendulums, veins in the body, musical scores, and more.

Time Is A Broken Umbrella runs until June 26, 2022.

The KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1705 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za

 

CITY OF THE DEAD: REVIEW

“City of the Dead” is a good and well-written psychological thriller that takes the reader from one end of LA to the other, with numerous twists and turns. Well worth the read if you are a Kellerman fan! (Review by Barry Meehan)

And they’re back – psychologist Alex Delaware and his good friend, LAPD homicide Lieutenant Milo Sturgis, in the forty-third novel in the Alex Delaware series. 

Most have been penned by Jonathan Kellerman himself, with a few co-authored with his son, Jesse Kellerman. City of the Dead would appear to be a solo effort.

Early morning in an up-market Los Angeles suburb. A delivery truck hits something, but it’s not your normal pedestrian accident. The victim is a naked man, and he has not been hit by the front of the truck. Could it be a student, running around the neighbourhood naked for some sort of prank, or is it something deeper or more sinister?

A concerned neighbour tells the investigating officer that there’s a suspect house a little way down the road, suspect in that there are normally an inordinate number of people visiting at all hours of the day or night, leading the neighbour to believe that the house could well be a brothel.

A trail of bloodstains leads to the house, and another body is discovered, this time a woman who is recognised by Alex Delaware, a woman he had met during a custody dispute some two years previously, Cordelia Gannett, who was suddenly thrust into the midst of the custody hearing, being introduced as a qualified relationship expert. Upon investigation, Gannet’s “qualifications” did not pass muster, and she was exposed as having only a correspondence school degree, and had recently been brought up on charges of misrepresentation.

The question that arises with her death is whether she has been practising illegally in the meantime, or whether she is in fact at all what she seems. As Milo and Dr. Delaware get further into their investigation, a tortured family history comes to light, with various players trying to cover up a somewhat dubious past.

City of the Dead is a good and well-written psychological thriller that takes the reader from one end of LA to the other, with numerous twists and turns. Well worth the read if you are a Kellerman fan! 

City of the Dead is published by Penguin Random House UK. ISBN  978 -1-529-12595-5 - Barry Meehan