By Andile Mbesa
Twelve National Arts Festival (NAF) shows had to be cancelled after a 24-hour power outage hit the part of the city on Thursday and Friday.
The protracted outage struck Makhanda’s CBD and parts of Sunnyside, including the Village Green and surrounding National Arts Festival venues, on the same day that Makana Local Municipality Executive Mayor Yandiswa Vara asserted the municipality’s commitment to a smooth festival experience.
Makana Municipality communications officer Anele Mjekula said a fix for the electrical fault was delayed because the Electricity Department had to source a repair toolkit from outside the city.
In response to the outage, the NAF distributed generators to some affected venues, such as the Monument, but could not cope with the scale of the blackout.
NAF technical director, Nicci Spalding, said they received support for the generators from several partners, including the Ndlambe Municipality. “These things happen, and we do plan ahead for these eventualities,” Spalding said. “We are grateful for the support from the partners and audience understanding.”
Out of the 12 shows that were cancelled, two were given extra shows to minimise the financial impact. The shows included The King Of Broken Things and Bad African. Audiences were given refunds or the option to use the ticket for the next show.
Village Green vendors who relied on electricity to operate were impacted financially. A vendor at the Kaps and Nuts stall on Village Green expressed her frustration: “I am very mad. We sell the smell before the nuts. Yesterday, there was no smell; it was a waste.”
The Spark in the Dark Theatrical Company, which is mounting 14 productions at this year’s NAF, lived up to their name by staging their productions without lights. One of the cast members said, “I believe Fool 4 U was the first show that we did without tech, and it was a hit! I ran around the Village Green, being like, It’s not cancelled – come watch the show!”
The Playhouse Company at Village Green wasn’t affected by the power outage because a backup generator was in place.
Thumamna Sibhozo, who was unable to watch one of the cancelled shows, Play Things, expressed his disappointment: “That was a bummer, obviously. It’s a festival. You have people you have told to come to the show, and you have prepared yourself.”
