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Talent galore on Arts Fest Fringe
28 June 2006
Thirty-nine visual art exhibitions and 287 productions - including 51 premières - are lined up for the 2006 National Arts Festival Fringe, ranging across cabaret, comedy, dance, physical theatre, performance poetry and children's theatre.
The festival takes place in Grahamstown from 29 June to 8 July, and performers are coming from the Netherlands, Ireland, Ethiopia, Namibia, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the United States - and all across South Africa.
On the comedy front, festival favourites like Raiders, Boet 'n Swaer, Hoot, Black Mamba, and Sidesplitting Stef are back, joined by an eclectic mix of stand-up comedians and comedy dramas.
Award-winning playwrights, directors and actors will rub shoulders with festival debutants in what promises to be one of the most exciting
drama programmes in recent Fringe festival history.
Directors include the likes of Janet Buckland, Rob Murray, Bongani Linda, Peter Court, Robert Kirby, Seputla Sebogodi, Peter Krummeck, Bobby Heaney, Peter Hayes, Greig Coetzee, Peter Ngwenya and Ian Roberts.
Electrifying dance movements from a host of emerging and recognised companies will make the Fringe the place to be for diversity in dance. Pantsula, hip hop, gumboot, bolero, kofifi, tap, tango and acrobatics - from modern contemporary to traditional African and classical ballet - are all part of the mix.
On the music programme there's afro-jazz, rhythm and blues, a whole lot of soul, classical recitals, gospel choirs and marimba bands. From new-age to new wave, indigenous African instruments to the Japanese Sakuhachi, there's something to satisfy everyone's ear - even an opera (Donizetti's one-act comic opera Rita - The Battered Husband).
The physical theatre line-up ranges from pure physicality
to dance, mime, music, improvisations, poetry and magical illusions, while the urban phenomenon of performance poetry will be hitting Grahamstown with a vengeance.
The festival is sponsored by the Eastern Cape government, Standard Bank, the SABC, the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and the National Arts Council.
Business & Arts South Africa has also made a special grant to the festival this year. The major portion goes to the artists on the festival fringe, the rest to festival newspaper Cue, the Youth Audience Development Project and the Art-Walk Meander Map.
For more information, see the related articles on the right - and visit the National Arts Festival website.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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Rainbow Nation nutcases John van de Ruit and Ben Voss will be back at the 2006 National Arts Festival Fringe with Black Mamba (Photo: Mamba Productions) |
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The Rainbow Nation
One country, many peoples. Our photo gallery celebrates the diversity of the "rainbow nation" of Africa. 
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South African culture - Art, dance, literature, music, theatre - not forgetting food and wine - all the facets of our rich cultural kaleidoscope.
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