18 June 2007
The 2007 National Arts Festival Fringe - running in Grahamstown from 28 June to 7 July - offers a seriously indulgent spread of cross-cultural entertainment, covering comedy, children's theatre, film, physical theatre, dance, drama and music.
Andrew Buckland's new physical theatre piece Voetsek! and Lisa Bobbert's off-the-wall comedy Chronicles of a Car Guard are just two of the 70-odd premières on the Fringe.
Phyllis Klotz and Smal Ndaba's award-winning drama, D.E.T Boys High, returns 16 years after its sensational debut in Grahamstown in 1991. Nicholas Ellenbogen and Theatre for Africa's "Raiders series" continues with Rasputin's Rectangle, and the Melisizwe Community Theatre return with their 2006 sell-out comedy Herebedesh.
FTH: Khulumakahle's hearing and deaf theatre-makers romp into the world of fairytales, romance and courage in Gumbo; Paul Slabolepszy tees off with his new comedy, Not the Big Easy; and Athena Mazarakis mixes physical theatre with digital art in Coming To.
Daniel Buckland's adaptation of the children's classic results in an environmentally friendly Eco-Wolf and the 3 Pigs; the Cape Junior Ballet offer an electrifying cross-cultural dance extravaganza, Facets of Africa; and professional storyteller Nomsa Mdlalose conjures spell-binding tales out of African history, folklore and personal experience in Storytelling Performance.
Bongani Linda spins the tale of a magnificently multi-racial family's journey to harmony in Carrot Sisters; the Voice of Glory Choir concerts, To Know Him … interlace African gospel music with traditional hymns; and Gys and Jaci de Villiers' musical history, Die Afrikaner 300, is a high-energy, humorous cabaret encapsulating the essence of the Afrikaner.
There are a host of stand-up comedians on the roll-call - Martin Davis, Mark Sampson, Cokey Falkow, Dave Levinsohn, Martin Evans, Stuart Taylor and Nik Rabinowitz, to name but a few.
Annual favourites like the Cape Dance Company, Andrew Tracey's Steelband, Rob van Vuuren and Louw Venter (The Most Amazing Show), and Sidesplitting Stef (Juncker) will also be back in town.
The Glass Contraption Company is bringing five New York clowns to Grahamstown for Ridiculosity. Ethiopia's Bluenile Promotions are packing a uni-cycle for the trip down south with their circus act presentation, Cultural Footing.
Also flying in are the Weaver Hughes Ensemble from London (Remembering You Like Something I'd Forgotten), Nanzikambe Productions from Malawi (Accidental Death of Democracy) and Khambala Productions from Swaziland with Jabulile!.
That's just the tip of the iceberg, but indicates the diversity of productions on offer on the 2007 Fringe, with 250 productions set to hit Grahamstown's stages in magically transformed school and church halls.
For more information, see the related articles on the right - and visit the National Arts Festival website.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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