Something for everyone at Hilton Arts Festival
NOW IN its 30th year, the annual Hilton Arts Festival takes place from September 23 to 25 at Hilton College.
The packed, varied programme has something for everyone, from children’s theatre to comedy – showcasing South Africa’s funniest talent – to award-winning drama and birding.
A performance by a troupe of Johannesburg’s hottest circus artistes promises to enthral and there’s music of every genre, with five visual arts venues, quality curated crafts, plus food and drink outlets.
On Friday, September 23, the festival opens with the popular Jongosi youth programme, when no fewer than 144 grade 10 to 12 pupils in the Hilton/Howick area have been sponsored to attend the main event, joining other schools to make up the 1 500 pupils.
Urban Circus is a love letter to the thrilling acrobatics of big city life. A talented troupe of Johannesburg’s hottest circus artists go on a wheel-spinning, nail-biting, day-dreaming escapade through the city in an exciting collaboration between the Jozi circus company, The Cirk, and physical theatre practitioner and Cirque du Soleil alumnus Daniel Buckland.
A dedicated comedy tent will feature John Vlismas in Apex; long-time funnyman Rob van Vuuren in Still Standing and the young, up-and-coming Alfred Adriaan.
All three comedians will combine for a once-off show called Ask Me Anything. Perennial Durban favourites Aaron McIlroy and Lisa Bobbert present Go Big and McIlroy plays in a one-man show called A Vegan Killed My Marriage.
Firefly, a tale of moon-crossed love, betrayal, revenge and desire, is brilliantly told by theatre legends Andrew Buckland and Sylvaine Strike.
At All Costs, performed by Peter Terry, tells the story of Delville Wood from the point of view of a young man facing the horror of having to go to war. Ubuntu Bill, written by Michael Taylor Broderick and starring Ralph Lawson, is a whimsical tale of an old man who says he can hear the call of the moon, while The Ugly Noo Noo is a slice of South African history interwoven with comedy, featuring Mpilo “Straw” Nzimande.
Watch Jason Robert Brown’s award-winning musical, The Last Five Years, a one-act drama-comedy telling the bittersweet love story of a struggling actress and an up-and-coming novelist. Classical concert pianist Christopher Duigan presents a single
concert in the school’s magnificent chapel on Sunday morning.
In a new venue, The Music Auditorium, a wide variety of cabaret can be found. Kerry Hiles pays tribute to Eva Cassidy, Daniel Anderson and Germaine Gamiet relive the Noel Coward, Ivor Novello and Cole Porter-era in Mad About The Boys, while Roland Perold visits our favourite musicals in a trip down musical Memory Lane.
The lockdown internet sensation father and daughter, Adrian and Emma, will be there to share their journey in Accidently Viral.
Theatre that spotlights topical and often uncomfortable realities such as gender violence, is represented in Whistleblowers; rhino poaching in the internationally acclaimed SA classic Horn of Sorrow, and emotionally painful but heart-warming coming of age issues, such as Ile, which won the Golden Ovation at the National Arts Festival this year. Children will love
Visual arts are catered for in no less than five venues; there are quality curated crafts, food and drink and live music. Verandah Panda and Qadasi, just back from a tour of Europe, are also performing.
In a major scoop, the festival presents the internationally acclaimed exhibition Mandela: A Life’s Journey by John Meyer, an extraordinary art collection that showcases the story of a South African icon. Each of the 16 pieces are works in acrylic and sand on canvas that took three years to complete. It is the first time the collection will be shown in KZN.
The festival has partnered with leading bird tour company Rockjumper for the Rockjumper Bird Arena, which will host talks and slide shows and conduct birding drives and walks on the Hilton College Estate.
Entry is R100 per vehicle. For the full Programme, see www.hiltonfestival.co.za and booking is via https:// www.quicket.co.za/