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UPON entrance into Grahamstown in June/July, visitors were greeted by signs reading "Welcome to AMAZ!NG". I am delighted to report that this year’s Standard Bank National Arts Festival did not disappoint. The event is an annual showcase of South Africa’s best talent and creativity in dance, theatre, visual art, music and all those bits and pieces in between. Grahamstown is a lovely little place and the entire town (which is home to several schools and, of course, Rhodes University) is transformed into a performance and exhibition space for the occasion.
People of all age groups and origins attend the festival, giving it an eclectic atmosphere. One of the great things is that the town is quite small, so it is easy to walk between the various destinations. There were also a number of pubs and markets to keep you entertained in between shows. Grahamstown is a student dorp so drinks are cheap there is always a good vibe to be found somewhere afterhours.
The university campus is spread out and probably accounts for most of the population. Lots of the classrooms and labs look like old houses and there are residences everywhere. (I have to confess, I had a brief flirtation of disloyalty with a Rhodes honours, until I realised that as much fun as dancing on tables at Pirates is, the hustle and bustle of the Mother City is too big a sacrifice!) The festival is a fantastic experience – if you missed it this year then book for next year now!
Here is a brief review of some of the things I saw that might make it down to Cape Town, so keep your eyes open:
Womb Tide
The strength of the performance is in the tight and tidy direction by Rob Murray; at all times innovative and gripping. Liezl de Kock and Daniel Buckland had us laughing and crying with their portrayal of a quirky couple battling for a stable family, despite the obstacles that life throws them. Their use of movement and expression was exceptional- you didn’t even notice that there was no speaking. The setting is non-specific late 20th century South Africa, which gives it a dark (but subtle) undertone. If you get the chance, see it.
Matthew Ribnick’s latest comedic escapade (written and directed by his wife, Geraldine Naidoo) does not disappoint. In Monkey Nuts, Ribnick plays a variety of atypical South African characters who are linked by their interactions to kind-hearted, somewhat socially-thwarted Edgar Chambers. Just like Hoot and Chilli Boy, he transforms from one character to another with ease, keeping the audience in hysterics all along. But this show is not for the self-righteous or serious.
As is always the case with festivals, you win some, you lose some. One of the more bizarre experiences was Same but not Different by the Ntsoana Contemporary Dance Theatre. Unless you habitually pay R40 to watch people writhing on the ground, wrapping themselves in long swathes of material and downing jugs of water only to chunder it all up again, I’d recommend giving this one a miss. When "contemporary" veers to "obscure", it’s time to focus on your day job.
In between the makeshift theatres and stages, a wide variety of art exhibitions managed to sneak their way onto the streets of the city. Besides the men on stilts and children with faces painted white (trying, usually without much success, to hold a pose) that could be seen all over town, I particularly enjoyed the breathtaking Starry Skies of the Karoo by Ian van Straaten. All of his pictures are taken at night with very slow shutter speeds, using only the natural light from stars and man-made dwellings nearby.
was without a doubt a highlight. Produced by Cape Town-based theatre company, FTHK, this play was completely absorbing. The play was written by Lara Foot in 1996, but has been adapted by the company so that it is non-language specific and accessible to people with impaired hearing.
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