Come and celebrate “unity in diversity” at Artscape this September
Artscape Theatre Centre’s 2018 Heritage Festival will run from September 4 to 29 and will celebrate our diverse cultures and identities through indigenous, contemporary and international artistic works in dance, music and jazz.
The flagship festival emphasises the need for South Africans to celebrate unity in diversity, through promoting social cohesion and inclusivity of our unique, colourful cultural heritage. The festival provides residents of Cape Town, itself a melting pot of divergent cultures, the Western Cape as well as South Africans at large with a platform to encourage dialogue about their values, aspirations and visions as we work together towards a united, inclusive and dignified South Africa.
The Jungle Theatre Company presents the colourful children’s theatre production The Magic Shell – an African folktale set in ancient times when the first people go on an adventure in search of stories. They discover magical animals and the stories come to life in English and isiXhosa with original songs and unique masks. The play encourages children to tell imaginative stories and to read; it fosters pride in our heritage and language, connects us to nature, brings laughter and opens up channels of creativity. Described by theatre-goers as “simple and magical; really clever how it makes one use your imagination. Kids really enjoyed it!”
The Magic Shell runs in the Arena from September 4 to 8: two shows daily at 10am and 11.30am, with only one show on September 8 at 10am. Tickets are R50 throughout.
It is the turn of The Cape Malay Choir Board (CMCB) to host their prestigious CMCB Heritage Cup in the Artscape Opera House on September 7 and 8 at 7pm. This will be the best that Cape Malay choirs have on offer for their audiences – with a repertoire of songs to suit all tastes, in both English and Afrikaans. Tickets are R90 throughout.
From September 13 to 15, in the Arena, My Miriam Makeba Story will showcase the “rising star” status locally and internationally of Sima Mashazi.
Mashazi performed the role of the young Miriam Makeba in the first international musical, Mama Africa (which toured in both the USA and SA). The experience deepened her admiration for Makeba’s music and the woman behind it. In this show Mashazi shares the themes in Makeba’s music and life that touched her and bear similarities to her own journey. Expect world famous hits like Pata Pata to less known gems like Suliram (an Indonesian lullaby) and expect to be mesmerized by the talent of this rising star. She will be joined by Ramon Alexander on keys and vocals; Annemie Nel on drums; Dustin Julius on guitar; Chadleigh Gowar on bass; Marco Maritz on the trumpet & flugelhorn and Babalwa Meintjies on backing vocals. Tickets are R130 with special rates for pensioners, scholars & students and block bookings of ten or more.
Coenie de Villiers and renowned author Deon Meyer return with their box office hit Karoo Suite/Katrina, a musical ode to the Karoo in the Artscape Theatre from September 19 to 22. The second half consists of the debut performance of the dance production Katrina, Die Dansende Taal, based on the life story of Katrina Esau, the last remaining fluent speaker of the San language N/UU.
The concept for this is essentially a historical heritage piece, and the life-story/stories from San culture make up the core of the anchor piece. Esau and her sister Grieta Seekoei of Upington, are the last two speakers of the ancient San N/UU language. Music is by De Villiers in consultation with Prof Dizu Plaatjies. Karoo Suite/Katrina is an Artscape production in conjunction with CDV Market Ideation. Scholars and students are invited to attend a discussion session and demonstration with De Villiers and Fortuin at 12.30pm followed by the matinee performance at 2.30pm on Saturday September 22 for only R50 per ticket. All other shows will cost R150 per ticket, with special rates for scholars & students, pensioners and block bookings of ten or more.
September 20 to 22 will see the SA/Netherlands collaboration come to life in a production titled Here to There. It is a site-specific dance/spoken word performance that connects Dutch and South African theatre makers, dancers and spoken word artists and is partly performed in the public space and partly in the Arena. Texts by poet Koleka Putuma from South Africa are combined with choreography by Niki van Callandt from the Netherlands. The play mixes dance and spoken word and raises questions about the entangled histories of both countries South Africa and The Netherlands and how they manifest. Questions are raised about how we can remember and acknowledge our shared past and language while living alongside, and with, one another in the present. Here to There takes the audience on a tour in a performance through various physical and imaginary spaces and tells personal stories that stick to these spaces. A poetic, danced ‘museum tour’ through places that are touched and affected by our shared past. Here to There is presented by the “Afrovibes” Incubator and will also be presented during the Afrovibes Festival in The Netherlands in October. Tickets are R100, with special rates for scholars & students, pensioners and block bookings of ten or more.
Not to be missed, on actual Heritage Day, September 24, the Cape Cultural Collective (CCC) will have a one-off performance in the Artscape Theatre of Just OUR Journey – an exploration and celebration of Cape Cultural Heritage through choir music, dance, poetry, hip-hop and story-telling. Just OUR Journey is a realistic glimpse into the potpourri of what Cape Town culture has on offer. It tells the story of the Rosa Choir with them performing some of their memorable songs alongside other Cape Town-based community performers and activists who, through the years, alongside the CCC have made significant contributions to our theatrical and political landscapes through their ground-breaking, pioneering efforts in the Arts and Culture arena. Tickets are R100 throughout.
Dizu Plaatjies in Concert with Zinzi Nogavu is a concert you will not want to miss from September 26 to 29 in the Arena. This show displays the beauty of African Music through indigenous instruments and aims to take the audience through a journey of those indigenous instruments, along with the soulful voice of Ziziswa Nogavu performing alongside the Internationally acclaimed musician and SAMA award-winning Professor Dizu (Mzikantu) Plaatjies. They will be accompanied by the UCT Alumni students from the African Music Department at the South African Music College, where Professor Plaatjies lectures. Social issues will be addressed through music but above all, it is to introduce the sensational unique sound of our traditional music. Tickets are R100, with special discounts of R50 for pensioners, scholars & students and block bookings of ten or more.
- All tickets are available through Computicket or Artscape Dial-A-Seat on 021 421 7695.