National Arts Festival offers ‘hot tickets’

THE National Arts Festival (NAF) is offering a few “hot tickets” before the full programme goes on sale on May 8 with an early bird booking promotion. A selection of shows is now on sale at

www.nationalartsfestival.co.za, with more being added over the next few weeks.

The three now open include Phuma-Langa directed and choreographed by this year’s featured artist, Mamela Nyamza; Alphonse from Canadian performer Alon Nashman, whose multiple appearances at the NAF have earned him a strong following among Grahamstown regulars; and acclaimed young director Jade Bowers’ interpretation of a winning text.

“We’re going to be using the month before we open full booking to turn the spotlight on some of the productions, that demonstrate the breadth and depth of this year’s Festival offering,” National Arts Festival chief executive Tony Lankester said. ý Mary Watson’s Jungfrau, July 1-3 Based on the Caine prize-winning short story from Mary Watson’s collection called Moss, and directed by Naledi award-winning director and former Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre (2016), Jade Bowers, Jungfrau is a brand-new performance work about families and secrets that they hide.

The story has been adapted for the stage by acclaimed actress and writer Ameera Patel, who was also a Naledi Award recipient for Best Supporting Actress in 2017. ý Alphonse, July 2-4 Canadian theatre company Theaturtle brings Alphonse to South Africa after touring festivals and theatre stages internationally.

Alphonse is directed and performed by Nashman. It is a tapestry of stories within stories, with characters ranging from a regal vacuum cleaner to a melancholy cave, featuring one man, 27 characters – and loads of popcorn! Tickets for Jungfrau and Alphonse are between R75 and R80 each.