Purch, Garbo, Goyle, Street Art All over town By Thubelihle Mathonsi You have probably seen art installations around Makhanda as you walk around during the Festival. Behind them is a collective people interested in keeping the town and planet at large a liveable space for its occupants. When it all started I had no idea I would end up in Fingo in a building full of plastics ready to be recycled, talking to Zwelinzima Somyali – known to have a green thumb. A community member walks up to me as I am talking to him, I don’t catch his name,…
Author: Thubelihle Mathonsi
Read More
The Talent Preview interview Venue:B2 Arena First perfomance: 20.00-21.00 By Thuelihle Mathonsi The premiere of The Talent, a show that dives into the enduring legacy and evolving future of the human voice. A production, brought to life by producer Sarah Warden and co-directed by Deborah Pearson and James Stenhouse and a performance by Gemma Paintin. This will be the first show of this interesting piece that promises to divulge the power of the human voice, battling for it’s place in an era of the 6th industrial revolution. The Talent explores the impact and future trajectory of the human voice in…
By Thubelihle Mathonsi The Church Square is buzzing with people from different places. Westlife music is playing from a speaker somewhere, and the colourful stalls with toys are all giving me a sense of nostalgia. The smell of grilled meat fills the air, a little child holds on to their father’s pants with one hand while carrying a dummy sweet in the other. A stall draws me in. There is beadwork, friendship bracelets, and watches. The person selling them has been coming to the Festival for three years now. “I love working for myself. I am an entrepreneur,” she says.…
Ovation Award Venue: City Hall Next performance: 1 July 14:00 Interview By Thubelihle Mathonsi Saulspoort Dam The Musical received an Ovation Award on Monday. This award, according to the NAF, is in recognition of excellence, innovation, and the courage to explore new ideas that resonate with audiences and critics. This show exemplifies these qualities. It is, moreover, a tribute to the 51 victims of the bus that crashed into the Saulspoort Dam in Kimberley on 1 May 2003. Three extra performances have been scheduled for the production from 1-3 July: grab your ticket here. The show is a collaboration between…
Daddy’s Diary, review and interview Venue: St Andrews Hall Next performance: 30 June 12:00 By Thubelihle Mathonsi At the heart of Daddy’s Diary are two daughters. The show explores the emotional ripple effects of divorce, particularly on children. “What I hope audiences take away from this show is that divorce is a horrendous experience by nature,” says Ernest Mokoto, the show’s production manager. “It not only affects the couple, it’s the children who get hurt the most.” The story is like an unwritten diary, giving voice to a perspective often overlooked: that of the father. “Men are frequently portrayed as…
Psych, Illusion & Magic Venue: Glennie Hall Next performance: Monday 30 June 18:00 Interview & Review By Thubelihle Mathonsi I was already questioning my reality when I arrived at Li Lau’s Psych. I was without my glasses and squinting so I wouldn’t miss anything. But the chaos of my day subsided when Li Lau stood under the lights in front of the audience. And then there was magic. After calling up from the audience a non-French speaker – someone with no idea whatsoever of the language – Li Lau told them that he would give him temporary knowledge of French.…
Makwerekwere, Theatre Venue: Dicks Next performance: Tuesday 1 July 16:00 Review By Thubelihle Mathonsi Makwerekwere, which explores the topic of xenophobia and hate, illuminates just how much words can affect people. It is not afraid of calling out its grievances with the system and naming some political figures. The role of the press and journalists is also highlighted. The show asks who is in control and who gives those people control. The audience is given enough trust to pick up on very subtle gestures without the killer ever being mentioned. Throughout the show, even as you wait for the reveal,…
Makwerekwere, Theatre Venue: Dicks, Monument Building Next performance: 27 June 10:00 Preview Interview By Thubelihle Mathonsi The production Makwerekwere, written by Solly Hlabirwa Malaka and directed by Thatale Klaas Motebejane, is a powerful reflection on the brutality of xenophobic attacks witnessed in 2008. While studying in Benoni, Malaka saw firsthand the violence: “Our fellow country people were coming into Actonville and Wattville searching for Makwerekwere,” he says. It was there that he witnessed a young boy trying to flee, only to be caught and set alight. The play also draws from Malaka’s observations of how differently Black and white foreign…
Fuck, Marry, Kill, Comedy Venue: Dicks, Monument Building Next performance: 28 June 18:30 Review By Thubelihle Mathonsi Today was the first of Alice Viskat’s productions Fuck, Marry, Kill, and she delivered on her promise of honest, raunchy, brutal humour. Most of the stories were personal, yet incredibly relatable. The show centred around her dating experiences and all the complications that come with trying to find love in our modern world, navigating awkward moments, confusion, and unexpected situations. There was a strong balance between vulnerability and humour, especially when unpacking the not-so-pleasant parts of love and dating. Viskat made great use…
Fuck, Marry, Kill. Comedy Venue: Monument building Next performance: Thursday 26 June 14:00 Interview By Thubelihle Mathonsi Alice Viskat has two productions running on the same day at this year’s National Arts Festival. A bold start, marking Viskat’s debut at the National Arts Festival. One of these productions is the one-woman show Fuck, Marry, Kill. Viskat grew up surrounded by humour, from her mother to her grandparents. “They are funny and have that dry humour,” she says. Her show promises to be bold, confessional, messy, raunchy, and deeply personal, inspired by her own life stories and characters she has encountered…