Litnet

The final concert of the SICMF ended on a high note with its first ever woman conductor, Rebecca Tong, directing one of the most spirited performances ever to have been heard from an orchestra in South Africa. | Die fees se eerste vrouedirigent, Rebecca Tong, het gesorg vir een van die mees opwindende uitvoerings wat nog deur ’n orkes in Suid-Afrika aangebied is.

The South African Composers’ Symposium and The Songmakers’ Guild have announced a collaborative composition competition intended to discover and showcase emerging composers in South Africa. | Die Suid-Afrikaanse Komponistesimposium en Die Liedmakersgilde het ’n komposisiekompetisie geloods wat poog om opkomende komponiste in Suid-Afrika te ontgin en hul werk ten toon te stel.

Several of her most compelling pieces are based on Yasuke, an African Samurai who becomes central to ruler Nobung’s inner circle and thus the first – and only – black Samurai in 16th century Japan.

"Kaashiefa has been diagnosed with dementia and after taking care of her for years, her children decide to have her admitted to an old age home, where her daily life becomes entangled with that of the nurse, Mercy Kilane’s."

"What makes the Vrystaat Arts Festival special is our commitment to showcasing a mix of established and emerging talents, creating a rich and diverse program that caters to all tastes. We pride ourselves on our community engagement initiatives, which involve local communities in co-creating elements of the festival."

"It’s interesting to me that as South Africa lurches from crisis to crisis and potentially monumental elections loom next year, the mood at this year’s festival was so strikingly apolitical."

There’s another great line-up of top-quality South African entertainment at The Drama Factory this month.

Shakespeare’s popular romantic comedy Twelfth Night will help warm up your winter!  It will be performed for a limited run from 5 to 15 July at The Masque.

"One is supposed to see plays like Woza Albert! the way one does with Shakespeare, simply because they are brilliant. The scenes in this play ought not to be familiar anymore."

"In a world where warmth and fuzziness à la Tuesdays with Morrie became our expectations of people living out their last in a stately way, it is important to be reminded that there are those, like Paul, who want to go kicking and screaming, dragging others with him."

"Those with some understanding of the Old Testament or the Quran would know that Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar when God intervened by providing the world’s first scapegoat. Without the goat, there would have been no Jacob."

"The play ends with a repeat of the opening scene, which suggests that the cycles of violence may be perpetual and not limited to a single event."

"The clever structure provided a fun-filled 45 minutes during which many poignant stories about hair, and people’s reaction to hair, managed to be told."

"The king of broken things must rate as one of the most magical tales I have ever seen on any stage."

Howick, the gateway town to the iconic Midlands Meander, the premier arts and craft route in SA, is preparing a bid to become SA’s first Unesco City of Craft and Folk Art.

Marc Bamuthi Joseph is the vice-president and artistic director of social impact at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. He delivered the keynote address at the Tribuo arts conference held in Stellenbosch in June 2023, and he spoke about a transformative future and the currencies of redemption.

We would like to share and listen to experiences of adults living with a disability in South Africa. We would like to talk around "my disability", "me as a person", "my environment", and "my participation".

Encounters South African international documentary festival, renowned for its celebration of thought-provoking and impactful documentaries, is thrilled to announce some of its exceptional international films set to captivate audiences in Cape Town and Johannesburg from 22 June to 2 July 2023.

Love me, feed me, never leave me, a comedy about love, longing and navigating modern relationships. It will be performed at The Drama Factory from 2 to 4 June.

Stellenbosch Craft Drinks Festival returns to the annual events calendar on 7 October 2023 in the scenic Jan Marais Nature Reserve.