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ART MATTERS - November 2009
“Bah humbug!”
Festive season is upon us but I can’t help feeling more “bah humbug!” than “ho ho ho”. I am searching for some festive cheer which seems to be buried deep in 2010 hype, damp weather, brazen consumerism … and some seriously bad news.
There doesn’t seem to be much of a sense of Christmas – no sparkly lights are up as yet in the city, no displays in the parks – there doesn’t even seem to be much tinny, tired Boney M in the supermarkets.
Culture which is making headline news is laden with controversy - the Swiss banning minarets on new buildings; the vociferous heated debate about bare-handed bull killing and R22 million being soaked up in a theatre production from the Dept of Human Settlements.
AIDS Day has come and gone with a litany of terrifying statistics shrouding a thin veil of hope and optimism. A quote which stood out for me midst the AIDS coverage was by Fr Kieran Creagh who was shot, beaten up and left for dead two years ago, but remarkably continues to run his AIDS hospice and is a tireless AIDS activist. He was quoted as saying: “I find it strange that people celebrate AIDS Day with parties and concerts when 6.7 million people are dead because of the disease.”
And the National Arts Council have just released their lists of successful applicants – which is causing relief in some quarters … and despair in others.
Show me the light in the darkness. Show me the joy in the despair because I am finding it difficult to be jolly. I am currently involved in a multitude of festive froth – pantomimes, family musicals and year-end comedies. Getting wrapped up in a world of ugly sisters and fairy godmothers doesn’t feel authentic somehow in the context of so much social devastation.
Deliverance comes from unlikely places sometimes. Chatting to the friendly front-of-house lady in my bank today reminded me of our industry’s valuable input into the festive season. Bright-eyed she told me that she loves the year-end holiday season. She has fond memories of being taken to the theater as a child to see the annual family panto or big musical at what was then the Alhambra Theatre in town. Her childhood memories of Christmas are integrally entwined with nostalgic recollections of family outings to the theatre. She bemoans the fact that her husband’s family didn’t take him to the theatre as a child, so he doesn’t share her enthusiasm and reminiscences. We were chatting about which shows she would be taking her family to go and see this festive season.
It was hugely affirming to me to be reminded that our industry still does have a huge role to play. It is precisely because of the endless barrage of negativity and gloom that theatres should offer a delicious distraction at this time of year. It has been a hard year for everybody and one should regard festive celebrations with cautious optimism as we are not out of the woods yet. But a family outing to the theatre is actually the perfect thing to be doing right now.
The Durban theatre community has once again excelled in offering a spectacular mix of options. The hottest ticket this season I think will be Kickstart’s Peter Pan – take your children because they will remember the magic of this astonishing production for decades to come. My Fair Lady at the Playhouse is a sheer delight; the saucy adult panto Sinderalla… Comes Again is perfect for office parties and book-club outings; The Credit Crunch Christmas Party at the Catalina is a festive frothy frolic which will be a fun romp; and The Adventures of Bob and Rob for the little ones is value for money theatre which includes a free boat ride around the harbour. There are supper theatre options too – the Heritage, Rhumbelow and uShaka all have quality productions.
In keeping with the season, there are a variety of community Christmas productions, nativity shows and carol concerts – tonight the Assumption Church holds their pageant at 7pm; tomorrow the Glenwood Community Forum presents their annual Christmas Carol Service in Bulwer Park at 6pm; and tomorrow and again next Saturday is Twisting Testing Summer – a musical dance production at the Emmanuel Cathedral Hall.
The arts should guide us, challenge us and affirm us. But especially at Christmas time, they should first and foremost delight and enchant us.
“Now children, clap your hands if you believe in fairies…”
Bah humbug. Well perhaps not…
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, (PANSA) KZN
illa@pubmat.co.za
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ART MATTERS - October 2009
Defining Legacy
There are interesting discussions happening in arts circles about what constitutes “sustainability” and “legacy” – especially in the context of arts funding.
Arts funding is an in accurate and complex science and the source of some intense dialogue, frustration, questions and debate. There are so many schools of thought as to how our meager resources can best benefit the arts industry and the society it delights to serve.
Sustainability is an obligatory buzz word in arts circles currently. There is a sense that in order for a project to be considered successful it needs to leave a mark - it needs to have some kind of legacy and long term imprint. This is opening the doors to some profound reflection about what defines us as KZN arts practioners. In terms of the art we make, what is it that we want to be remembered by and what should we be investing in?
There is no right answer and we don’t have the benefit of hindsight. And to complicate matters, arts funders have their own sets of needs and political agendas. On one level applying for arts funding it is as simple as ticking the right boxes and making sure your ID copy is certified. There is also the consideration of supporting projects quite simply because in so doing it enables practioners to earn money and put food on their table. A hugely important criterion and consideration.
Somehow though, there needs to be a marriage between this approach and one which allows astonishing, phenomenal, life-altering arts projects to also be supported. This requires a huge leap of faith for the funding decision-makers because how do you quantify a truly remarkable arts experience? How can you justify the creation of something which lives in the hearts and minds of all involved, but does not necessarily put food on the table in the long term.
I saw Jay Pather’s Body of Evidence with Siwela Sonke which is a perfect case in point. Jay Pather is one of the country’s most vivid minds. His work is continually boundary-breaking and deeply moving. Who can forget his City Scapes some years ago - watching a group of pantsula dancers on the escalators of 320 West St while bemused shoppers wondered by.
Body of Evidence is one of the most exhausting, challenging, difficult, beautiful, complicated pieces of live dance-theatre I have ever encountered. I left the auditorium feeling like I had just been run over by a ten ton truck – or the artistic equivalent thereof. The complex images and my overwhelmed response to them will live with me for years to come. This was art of the highest order and I believe should be supported so work like this can continue.
Applause too for Rainbow Chicken – they won the 12th Annual Business Day BASA Award for First Time Sponsorship of the arts which acknowledges their support of the Catalina Theatre. A function was held last week to hand over their award. Rainbow affiliates were invited to a preview of Manuel Puig’s masterful play, Kiss of the Spiderwoman. This is another challenging piece of theatre about an unlikely friendship between a camp window dresser and a zealous political freedom fighter who share a jail cell.
I felt uneasy that many of the guests weren’t regular theatre-goers and would not embrace a challenging evening of difficult theatre. A part of me wished they were coming to a mass-appeal tribute show so that they would leave the theatre having had a good time and feeling affirmed by their decision to invest in the arts. But on reflection perhaps the choice of production is testimony to the reality that without financial support Kiss of the Spiderwoman, and projects like it, would not be staged in the current financial situation in Durban.
And we would be all the poorer for not seeing Kiss of the Spiderwoman – a play about the power of love and kindness, about finding a moment of solace in a harsh world; about trust, affection and compassion; about accepting differences, about not judging people who live life differently and who choose different paths. So although there were moments in Kiss of the Spiderwoman which no doubt had the guests feeling uncomfortable, perhaps it was the perfect illustration of the need to support projects which aren’t conventionally sustainable. On paper, the legacy is ephemeral, but actually it could be life-changing.
Isn’t that what art is supposed to be about? Indescribable moments of powerful emotion and intense response, which can change your life for ever.
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, (PANSA) KZN
illa@pubmat.co.za
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ART MATTERS - September 2009
Jhb hosts World Summit on Arts and Culture.
Johannesburg held a major international indaba of the arts last week – The World Summit on Arts and Culture.
The World Summit on Arts and Culture is defined as “a global celebration and investigation of the impact of the arts, artists and arts organisations on culture, society, the economy and nation building, and the role of public funders in supporting that activity”.
It is one of the most significant international conferences for arts policy makers and it is significant that it was held for the first time on African soil - in fact, it was held for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere. The National Arts Council of South Africa, a founding member of IFACCA, was selected to host the fourth World Summit on Arts and Culture in Johannesburg in 2009 after a bidding process.
It takes place every three years. Previous World Summits have been held in Ottawa, Canada (2000); Singapore (2003); and Newcastle Gateshead, UK (2006).
The summit is rare as it is essentially a major conference for international arts policy makers - not for the practicing artists. It is hosted by IFACCA – the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, supported by the National Arts Council of South Africa. It is the only international event of its kind for arts and culture policy development.
International public arts funding agencies, private national and international arts funding bodies, cultural policy makers, and representatives of international, regional and national artists’ networks spent four days in dialogue. Delegates examined what the term “intercultural” actually means, and examined what role culture plays in building a world where we can accommodate diversity.
“We live in a paradox,” wrote Programme Director Mike van Graan in his welcome message: “On the one hand affirming cultural diversity and the right of all to be different, yet on the other hand, cultural differences are often at the root of many local, national, regional and global conflicts,” This reality is what led to the conference’s theme of Meeting of Culture, Creating Meaning through the Arts.
“My interest is in the African Experience,” says Durban’s Nicky du Plessis – one of the speakers at the Summit. Du Plessis serves on the NAC Board and is chair of Art Moves Africa – the only mobility fund of arts in Africa. She presented the results of a feasibility study for a continent wide fund for African arts and culture.
Du Plessis explained that one of the outcomes was a meeting of CEOs of African arts and culture councils to establish a forum to share experience. 80 delegates from 27 African countries who make up the ARTerial Network, hosted their bi-annual conference just before the summit to discuss issues pertaining to the African Experience. The network commissioned preliminary research looking at the possibility of establishing a single fund to support creativity across the continent.
“It was interesting for me that the summit addressed issues such as role of culture in development which is of particular interest for countries like South Africa which are considered developing countries. A significant amount of overseas aid comes through culture, and sessions at the conference helped to unpack what this means.
“As it was the fist time it was held in Africa, the speaker programming was carefully arranged to make sure there was a balance of experience from both the developing and the established world, and decision-makers from the north and from the south.
“There was particular emphasis on creating opportunities for policy makers to be able to engage and speak to each other. It was a rare opportunity to have a chance to network among ourselves. Interestingly it is often easier for artists to create relationships with first world countries. It is not always easy to network on the continent,” she said.
Of special mention were keynote addresses by Baroness Lola Young from UK and Prof Njabulo Ndebele chaired by Sibongile Khumalo which looked at “sword or ploughshare / bridge or dynamite? – the arts as vehicles for intercultural dialogue”.
Another significant paper was presented on the tension between traditional culture and modernity by Dr Maude Dikobe from Botwana. One of the most interesting debates was chaired by Grahamstown’s Ismail Mahomed looking at arts in conflict and post conflict zones with input from participants from Israel, Pakistan and Palestine.
“This World Summit was a very important opportunity for African delegates to demonstrate the quality of contemporary African cultural practice. There is no doubt that hosting the summit in SA will impact positively on the cultural sectors in all our countries and make it clear that African art and culture has a great deal to contribute to international dialogue,” said Du Plessis.
Drop me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za.
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, KZN
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ART MATTERS - August 2009
Heritage and Community Explored
Acknowledging heritage has the potential to play a hugely unifying role in nation-building and understanding our difficult past.
On the beautiful angel statue opposite the City Hall is inscribed: “lest we forget” – meant to remind us about the futility of war, but equally apt in reminding us not to forget our birthright and inheritance, and using this understanding to take our democracy forward.
We have a busy time ahead - the city is hemorrhaging heritage-themed events with a packed September diary to celebrate our colourful, bustling city; its complex legacy, our fractured traditions, cultural diversity and sense of community.
The Michaelmas season is the least overtly commercial season in the city’s annual calendar providing opportunities for emerging and community-focused eventors. The city’s Eric Apelgren works hard at making the season as inclusive as possible – liaising and brainstorming with literally dozens of event mangers and city officials to try and create maximum opportunities for the people of Durban to explore their city.
Before the concept of Heritage was embraced on the national calendar, activists in the field of heritage went largely unapplauded. The jewel in the season’s crown is the annual Heritage Awards on 19 September when the city acknowledges six South Africans for their outstanding contribution to the preservation and promotion of our country’s heritage.
Another evergreen heritage event is the fabulous but these days rarely hosted Red Eye –designed to encourage the city’s bright young things to engage with the city’s art makers, and explore the Durban Art Gallery. Red Eye Ready? will be staged in late September.
I love this time of year – it appeals to my intrinsic sense of community. One of the events involves treating pensioners to a free pamper day in the Newlands East Community Hall. To ensure that Heritage has an impact throughout greater Durban, all 100 ward councilors are tasked to do at least one heritage event in their wards.
Supporting the concept of inclusivity and community are various music events to be staged in the next while: literally music in the streets of Albert Park with a concert hosted by Cell C Durban Music School; a stage will be erected in Gugu Dlamini Park to provide a platform for some of the region’s most exciting emerging and undiscovered talent, and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra are performing a programme of mostly sacred music in the heart of the city – in the gracious Emmanuel Cathedral.
The libraries will be busy celebrating literary heritage by hosting their annual creative writing and story telling events co-ordinated by the ever proactive Deena Nair.
There are events which look at different aspects of our culture: Shared Histories: The Indian Experience in is a comprehensive festival looking at the complex shared experiences between India and South Africa. The Blue Lagoon is acknowledged as an entertainment hub hosting the Durban Blue Lagoon Indian Ocean Festival and the Coca-Cola Bunny Chow Barometer. The city’s traditional healers are acknowledged for their role in a day long heritage day event at Curries Fountain.
Seldom to our museums and galleries get to feature in major seasonal happenings. There are some truly interesting events on offer: Back To Africa celebrates our common ancestry and looks at our genetic make up. Separate is Not Equal is at KwaMuhle Museum looking at brief history of segregation in the USA and SA - with particular focus on the schooling systems in both countries. Out of Step is part of the End Conscription Campaign’s 25th anniversary commemorations and looks at the history, role and significance of this important apartheid-era anti-conscription organisation.
An exhibition which looks beyond our border is the Boundless Southern Africa Expedition, led by National Geographic explorer Kingsley Holgate to raise awareness of the countries and parks. The exhibition at the ICC showcases the nature, culture and communities the expedition encountered on their journey. Looking within our borders is A Known Heritage at Kizo curated by Nathi Gumede, which celebrates the rich cultural heritage of KwaZulu Natal.
The Arts Bus will be back on the streets again during September and October offering an easy way of exploring our art galleries. The city is sponsoring a free hop-on, hop-off bus which tours the major art galleries every Saturday morning from mid September.
The city is affording us all a wonderful opportunity to see our city through new eyes. Find time during Heritage month to do just that – explore and engage.
Drop me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za.
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, KZN
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ART MATTERS - July 2009
Compassion and kindness
Sometimes messages come at you from all sides - perhaps what needs to be said is too precious to risk being lost in translation. I think the arts are conspiring to send me a hugely valuable reminder of something I should probably already know: it is indescribably important to remember to always be compassionate and kind.
A month of festival binging allows one to easily pick up on themes. I have seamlessly moved from an intense week at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown (NAF), to a feast of fabulous features, documentaries and shorts at the 30th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
No doubt what I chose to see in both instances informed my interpretation of the themes being communicated, especially as both festivals offered such an enormous selection of possibilities. Had my choices been different, no doubt my sense of the issues under the arts spotlight would have suggested something else. But certainly from the roughly 20 productions and lectures I attended in Grahamstown, and the dozen or so film festival movies that I have seen so far, my overwhelming sense is that the arts are grappling with issues around humanity, compassion and redemption.
“I wrote a play about kindness. To demonstrate the need for kindness, I wrote a play about the absence of kindness. It's about compassion, but it shows insensitivity," explained Pulitzer prize-winning writer Margaret Edson in a public Q&A session about her astonishing play Wit which was masterfully staged by KickstArt in Grahamstown and subsequently in Durban. . Two significant characteristics seem to ooze from her very being – wisdom and kindness. This provides a personal and visual reference to the premise of her beautifully-crafted play.
Wit was one of the benchmark productions at the festival this year – in terms of staging and production values, but also giving input into some of the themes and concerns which contemporary arts-makers are evidently currently considering.
I was most moved and interested by various unlikely relationships and the demonstration of kindness (or in many, cases lack of kindness) which were explored in the theatres, lecture rooms and cinemas during NAF and DIFF.
In Grahamstown, stand-out moments were the unlikely connection between two strangers in a park in the fascinating The Zoo Story (which is coming to the Hilton Arts Festival); the despicable injustice of slavery as depicted by the acclaimed ritualistic Indian Ocean Island dance piece, Ma Ravan; the unlikely relationship between warder and prisoner in Do you Know Billie Holiday? ; and a broken family experiencing the inhumanity of xenophobia in Every Year, Every Day I am Walking.
A particularly intense moment demonstrating trust and kindness was Brett Bailiey’s Blood Diamonds – a site-specific performance art installation in the abandoned railway station on the outskirts of Grahamstown, alongside vandalized graves in an old settler cemetery. In the dark cold of a Grahamstown evening, every patron moved through the installation individually and in silence. On walking onto the derelict train platform, your hand was taken by an under-dressed, under-nourished, urchin-like child – the child’s small icy hand finding yours in the darkness. A strange couple – anonymous festino and unknown child walking hand-in-hand without words along a blustery train station and through a shadowy cemetery.
With barely chance to digest the myriad experiences on offer in Grahsmstown, one returns to Durban and swops the hefty tome-like official NAF programme for the pocket-size salmon-pink DIFF catalogue to start the festival experience all over again.
Starting as it means to contine DIFF opened with Madoda Ncayiyana’s delicate and touching My Secret Sky / Izulu Lami – two young rural siblings living out their mother’s dying wish in the unfriendly streets of Durban. The theme continued with the unlikely connection between two anxious parents in London River; a complicated family situation in the old South Africa in Skin; two outcasts in the outback in Samson and Delilah; a family broken by addiction in Long Street and two grieving women – the mothers of a killer and his victim in Shirley Adams.
Some of the stories were OK, many were great and one or two (like Wit) have been life-changingly profound. But for me, for now, the message is clear. The art-makers are going to great lengths to tell us that not being kind is hurtful and ugly. One simply really has to be kind. Always. Always.
Drop me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za.
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, KZN
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ART MATTERS - June 2009
Child’s Play
George Benson was on the button when he crooned: “I believe that children are our future / Teach them well and let them lead the way / Show them all the beauty they possess inside / Give them a sense of pride to make it easier / Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be…”
Call me old fashioned, but for me, there is something about Play Stations, iPods, Mixt, mall visits and computer games which somehow doesn’t sit comfortably in the context of my understanding of what children’s playtime should be.
Without wallowing in the negative, I feel anxious about the future of those children whose lives seem somehow devoid of happy-ever-after make-believe. There is something inherently “dark” about contemporary children’s leisure activities. The head-count is high, the narrative grim, the violence is real, the future is bleak… When hanging out with my nephews, I feel overwhelmed when confronted with the options of Transformers, Ben 10 and a slew of Super-Heroes. Not a Jack Whittington, James and the Giant Peach or ginger-bread-man in sight! What happened? Since when did we dress our children in camouflage, give them scary looking weapons, a computer consol and dodgy role models and think all was OK?
My childhood was awash with make-believe - wonderful stories told to me by my patient granny; endless complicated role-playing games in the garden with my many sisters; visits to parks, theatres, museums and cemeteries (my love of the tranquillity of cemeteries stems from childhood visits). As a very little girl I remember that my Mum and I travelled for hours and queued all day to get a glimpse of Tutankhamen when his exhibition came to a nearby museum.
Do we expose our children to such unbelievable delights? As citizens of Durban, when last did you take your family to explore the museums, parks, galleries and theatres of our own fair town? It is only by exposure to our difficult past, that we can grow up understanding our complicated present; it is only by marveling at the museum exhibits that we better understand our amazing world; it is only by getting totally absorbed in the wonderful fantasy of theatrical make-believe that we learn, believe and pretend.
So the challenge is – school holidays are imminent, time is precious and money is tight, so cut back on the technology and consumer treats, and instead consider a family “outing”. Some options are to visit the animals (and the life size dinosaur) at the Natural History Museum in the City Hall; peer through the windows of the old pharmacy and haberdashery shop at the Local History Museum; scramble among the old boats at the Maritime Museum alongside the BAT Centre (wear comfy shoes for this one!); see diminutive Durban at Mini-Town on the beachfront; enjoy the beautiful weather and have a picnic in any one of Durban’s parks.
On the subject of parks – make time to visit the Botanic Gardens and view the British Council’s outdoor informative art exhibition – 100, 2x1m panels displaying children’s art from around the world as they respond visually to the rivers important to them.
We are spoilt for choice for theatre over the holidays – the magic of Winnie the Pooh (Playhouse) and Huckleberry Finn (Elizabeth Sneddon) are being brought to life in two major family productions - both worth seeing! Adding another dimension to the equation is that the story of Big River – the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being told by a cast of talented high school learners.
Bob and Rob is a fun family day-time show at the Catalina, and Jean van Elden is presenting a variety of children’s interactive theatrical activities every morning at the Durban Botanic Gardens.
And – dust off your old fairy tale books, or children’s anthologies, and spend an afternoon reading age old fanciful children’s stories of fairies, mermaids, princes, pirates and talking cats.
Remember – all the best stories always start with “Once Upon a Time….”
Drop me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za.
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, KZN
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ART MATTERS - May 2009
Acknowledging Heroes
We live in a country hungry for homegrown heroes.
We are on a quest to identify role models so we can write coffee-table books about them, name buildings and roads after them, adorn trendy T-shirts with their caricatures and even build their likeness into statues. Real heroes the world over are in short supply. We have one-minute celebs by the dozen. Each reality TV show throws up more into the mix to eventually become discarded in time to make way for the new. But real and meaningful heroes don’t come around too often, and when they do, we should hold on tight.
It doesn’t make sense: celebs get good ink in the popular press as their every move is documented and judged, while the good and profound people get less of a media showing. We seem to care more about the latest affair / breakdown / boob job / inanity of the vacuous personalities than we do about the endeavours, triumphs and achievements of people who dedicate their energy into making a difference.
How does that statistic go that more people have voted for their favourite Idol / Big Brother housemate / Survivor or whatever, than have voted in the election. How is it we buy more readily into froth and fantasy, than we do in crafting our own reality?
We are searching to create a meaningful national identity in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-faith, complex country. We are encouraged to regard political leaders are heroes – but sometimes it is good to be reminded of the other awesome individuals who deserve pedestals and poems too.
Awards evenings are great, as are bestowing honourary doctorates on deserving individuals – accolades are important and affirming and allow us to reflect on achivements and create important role models.
The arts of course have a role to play here. We should be applauding and honouring our great and good in the way which we do best – creatively.
In KZN we are blessed with a myriad amazing philanthropists, role models and cultural icons – men and women who have invested hugely into the common good and have created astonishing legacies: Fatima Meer, Paddy Kearney, Ela Gandhi, Miriam Cele, Jessica Foord; Andrew Verster; Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Gcina Mhlope… the list is endless.
Two such theatrical personalities are currently in the spotlight – both for very different reasons. Ronnie Govender – playwright, cultural activist, writer, producer, director, novelist – turned 75 a week ago. For decades the cultural mouthpiece for the Cato Manor heartache; Govender has an array of works to his name. To honour his illustrious career, the Shah Theatre Academy, together with the Playhouse, is staging Thunsil, a production in the Playhouse Drama of his favourite life stories and theatrical moments.
Garth Anderson is one of the city’s most respected thespians – responsible simultaneously for staging much of the good children’s theatre and Shakespeares in KZN over the decades. He is also a regular collaborator with playwright / actor Greig Coetzee and they have jointly created some of the province’s most watershed productions. Anderson was diagnosed with diabetes seven years ago, and has become more and more physically debilitated over time. The theatre community salutes the contribution Anderson has made to the theatre industry in KZN and is hosting a benefit evening for him next Monday (1 June) at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre featuring Mark Banks and a host of the Durban theatre professionals.
The challenge for us is to find the balance. A passing interest in the goings-on of the stars of the international stage and screen is fine and fabulous – but marry the interest and the media space with who is making a difference here;. We need to creatively engage with our local heroes to honour their legacy and support their work. Applause, bouquets and ovations for our heroes, because at the end of the day, do we really care what Britney wears or the state of Michael Jackson’s nose???
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, KZN
For ideas and input, drop
me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za
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ART MATTERS - March 2009
Oh for more time...
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have more time - time to pause, to be creative and to plan ahead. Time seems to be the singularly most precious commodity these days. For those who are busy, there is never enough time. It is only for those who have quiet days that time doesn’t feel so elusive.
A British survey conducted recently came up with the disturbing statistic that something like 10% of Britons feel they would be better off dead! For them, time must feel very meaningless to even contemplate such morbidity.
Lack of time has made me feel frustrated and resentful these past few days - I feel saddened that there have been significant events in the past while which us in the arts community have neglected to meaningfully acknowledge and embrace. I suspect it is because we are all too busy trying to make a living and put shows onto our stages. Theatrically it has been a busy time with shows running and new ones opening. All of us have been seriously hectic.
Last Friday, 27 March, was World Theatre Day. That could have been a great rallying tool to encourage people to turn off the telly and head off to see a show. But we missed it. And while turning off the telly, Earth Hour last Saturday was also a great opportunity for the arts community to be creative. Candle-light theatre, shadow puppets, mime and magic, music unplugged – we could have done some wonderful events to show our solidarity with Earth Hour, but most of us were all deafeningly silent. In fact many of us were on stage or sitting in the audience during Earth Hour – with the lights blazing! The international community did some beautiful things which made me jealous and sad that we didn’t take the initiative to do something marvelous here. Although certainly, there were some events and activity – there could have been so much more.
The reality of the situation is that commercial arts practioners are just that. They don’t earn a salary so their focus is earning a living from creating art whatever the medium - whether music, painting, theatre, literature, comedy or dance. It seems we look to subsidized institutions, the city decision-makers, the various departments and offices who are responsible for funding and managing the arts to have the luxury of time to be creative. They should be conceptualizing and co-ordinating appropriate, innovative, entertaining civic events. Durban should have done something wonderful for Earth Hour. The city theatres could have done something wonderful for International Theatre Day.
Granted it is election year, we are all focused on 2010 and it is almost the Easter holidays so of course we are distracted. But wouldn’t it be great if we could get to a place when these opportunities were embraced and we could gather in our communities and do wonderful things together. For us to use these opportunities as a way of making art accessible to more people, to take it out of the galleries and theatres and put it in our parks and community halls and get to know our neighbours and have fun. Events like Earth Hour could then be really impactful and maybe even make a difference.
It is dangerous when the artists aren’t at the fore-front of what happens in a society. The art makers, together with the faith leaders and our precious elder statesmen, should be at the helm of crafting ideas, shaping minds and gently guiding society forward. We are grateful to the columnists and cartoonists for playing that role so vociferously right now – for keeping the debates going, for constantly challenging and prodding.
In our busy days, we need to make time to do the same. If we don’t, we leave that crucial task to the politicians, talk show hosts, soap stars and speech-makers, which I for one would find very disconcerting…
* Don’t forget The Southern African Theatre Initiative’s national consultation process on the performing arts - the KwaZulu-Natal Theatre and Dance Indaba - is at the Playhouse over the weekend of 4 / 5 April. For more info, phone SATI at (011) 838-8932 or e-mail info@sati.org.za.
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, KZN
For ideas and input, drop
me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za
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ART MATTERS - FEBRUARY 2009
Behold the Power of the Frock
Pieter Dirk Uys is a machine. How is it that some people manage to put so much more into a 24 hour day? Once again after spending time with him I am reminded what an astonishing, articulate, intelligent and surprising visionary human being he is. He is a living treasure and we are blessed to have him in our midst. The people of Darling more so, are fortunate to have him as a neighbour and super-active resident.
He manages to put his finger on the pulse of exactly what matters. Like Hunter S Thompson, he embraces our “fear and loathing” and makes us laugh. He is touring the country with his latest one man satire ahead of the watershed elections encouraging us to vote, and vote wisely, and to be more assertive in taking ownership of our situation. To jolly things along, he invited a special guest every performance to have a tęte-ŕ-tęte with the grande dame of South African diplomacy, Evita Bezuidenhout.
Lots of politicians, dignitaries and celebrities were asked. Some chickened out, but a dozen brave men and women one by one agreed to take to the stage. Hats off to all of them - they were without exception total sports to agree. Evita is daunting in the extreme, she takes ownership of every situation. Her disarming smile, quaffed hair, eyelashes, heels and sequins disguise an intimidating and formidable woman underneath - somewhere between a high school headmistress and Margaret Thatcher. Her retorts are biting, her mind sharp and her tongue sharper.
Pitting the guests against her was reality theatre at its finest – a verbal bout of Strictly Come Dancing – all careful turns and nifty footwork. Some fared better than others – the DA’s Dianne Kohler Barnard and storyteller supreme Gcina Mhlope matched her graciousness and sparkle; the ACDP’s Wayne Thring was charming in his honesty, Rajbansi was great fun and SA Rugby Legend’s John Allen’s casual approach (he wore shorts!) were all winners.
A particularly bizarre encounter was with Ben Voss as Beauty Ramapelele – his black empowerment BEE businesswomen character. The reality of the situation was that two white men were on stage wearing drag and doing improv - Theatre Sports meets Priscilla Queen of the Dessert. What every member of the audience experienced though, was two women chatting – one a white middle aged matriarch, one an elegant black designer kugel. We believed the situation entirely. There was no doubt what we experienced. The theatrical leap of faith worked and the audience wriggled with delight at the outcome.
The transformation is astonishing – Pieter Dirk Uys is a brilliant mind and a great performer, but Evita is something else entirely. Ben Voss is a good mate, but as Beauty I find myself opening doors and pulling out chairs. Who hasn’t admired the total feminity of the “Mince” duo? Barry Humphries is comparatively anonymous, but who doesn’t know Dame Edna and her fabulous spectacles? The power of the frock – transforming, challenging, engaging. It defies logic. There is a study to be done on the theatrical impact and power of good drag and more interestingly the audience’s total buy-into the experience.
Evita has been on stage for more than 30 years. She is as much part of the South African cultural landscape as Ouma rusks and Mrs Balls chutney. I was shocked to find that some of the politicians who were approached to be Evita’s guests knew of Evita, but not of Pieter Dirk Uys. There were some complicated phone calls trying to explain to the PA’s of ministers about Pieter’s show and the invitation to be Evita’s guest. I suspect quite a few of them quite simply didn’t get it.
It is a huge honour to be in the presence of such a remarkable mythical human being as Evita and I am sure many dinner party conversations will come out of the season – both from the guests and from the audience – especially those non-Afrikaans speaking audience members who bore the brunt of her teasing. Certainly there was a flurry of media in response to Dr Mike Sutcliffe joining her on stage, and I am sure the politicians will dine out on their experiences. Word is that JZ and Julius Malema have been invited to be guests during the Jo’burg season. It will be interesting to see if they really do take to the stage and if so, what transpires.
Rule of thumb though, be cautious around a bright man in a frock – if the sharp tongue doesn’t get to you, the heels might….
* Audio clips of all of Evita’s Durban guests can be heard on the East Coast Radio website.
Illa Thompson
Performing Arts Network of South Africa, KZN
For ideas and input, drop
me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za
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ART MATTERS - JANUARY 2009
Start as we mean to continue
One of the Durban theatrical success stories is the annual Musho festival which this year was hosted at the Catalina Theatre and BAT Centre earlier this month. Musho is a festival of one and two hander theatre with productions gleaned from South Africa and abroad, and is one of the projects of the KZN chapter of the Performing Arts Network of SA. It is a great way to start the new year!
January is traditionally a quiet month for the entertainment industry – recovery time after the festive season bustle. Musho means no time for lethargy or complacency and a vigorous start for the performers and audiences. No sooner are the curtains down after the fabulous festive froth, that we head straight back onto our stages with a fistful of original and interesting pieces: exciting stories, innovative writing and brave new performances. For us in the industry it means starting the year as we mean to continue.
Remarkable theatre wasn’t all that Musho offered this year – it provided a platform for questioning a myriad of issues.
Tararam (the South African Israeli cultural fund) hosted an interesting piece of non-narrative physical theatre about the complex life of Palestinian performer from Nazareth. Debates, discussions and dissent ensued about the appropriateness of hosting an Arab-Israeli piece at this politically volatile time. This provided an opportunity for politicians, performers, academics and audiences to grapple with these issues and interrogate and question the intrinsic relationship between culture and world politics. It reminded us that a decision made by a theatre festival organising committee in Durban was extremely impactful and had huge implications that could not be seen in isolation. It reminded us too of the role of the cultural boycott leading to our country’s transition, and the tremendous potential that our industry has as a creative force to shape thought, opinion and change.
One of the events on the Musho festival programme was a Saturday afternoon PANSA forum during which the panel, made up of industry professionals, examined the changing paradigm in relation to the arts industry. An overwhelming shopping-list of challenges emerged from the frank and brisk session. We learned that transformation in our industry still has many obstacles, and needs vision and an effective skills programme to improve the status quo.
Many professional theatre managements were rapped over the knuckles – they are considered “anaemic” for not doing enough to open their spaces to expose new work, and they seldom work meaningfully with the communities they serve. We are not seeing enough “nation building” on stage – the managements need to look at prioritizing initiatives which tell distinctive and local stories. They were also criticized for offering performers and service providers from outside KZN opportunities which should have been offered to the local community.
Predictably the panel and floor agreed that there is poor alignment of funding the arts – and bad implementation. The government needs to invest more into the creative industries and operate more efficiently. The city has no clear arts and heritage policy: 200 councilors serve 3,5 million people with little attention to the arts and heritage. There are plans in place but it lacks detail and small-print.
The Musho festival ended with a two day PANSA strategic session where we critically examined our industry to create priorities for the year ahead
Maybe Obama’s global message of hope and optimism found its way to us, as the over-riding message we gleaned from the Musho experience was upbeat. We know our strengths – we can boast “People Passion Performance” (Pansa’s funky new slogan) and we can see the challenges. Complacency helps no one. There is a space for critical voices among ourselves, with our partners, media and audience. We need to be optimistic and make the change.
For ideas and input, drop
me a line on illa@pubmat.co.za.
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