First Talking Hands fest
AFESTIVAL of the arts by the deaf is to be presented next week at Durban’s Catalina Theatre on Wilson’s Wharf.
Billed as Talking Hands: First Deaf Theatre Festival of SA, this inaugural event will offer plays, workshops, dance, films and a talent contest.
It is being presented by Durban’s Catalina UnLtd to promote September as Deaf Awareness Month, and its theme of “accessibility, freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information”.
It also promotes public awareness of the potentials of deaf people.
“The festival will provide a direct window into the experiences, perceptions and world view of deaf people.
“It builds a bridge between the deaf and hearing worlds, so that hearing people can, for the first time, access the hidden lives of deaf South Africans,” says a spokesman.
“The festival encourages deaf artists to rise above their challenges, promote public awareness of the potentials of deaf people and reveal the unique culture between sound and silence, by sharing their artistic talents with diverse new audiences.”
The plan is for the festival to be presented annually.
The festival’s varied fare will include Talking Hands –
The Play, Catalina UnLtd’s own production, and Ultimate
Deaf Side Story, produced by the Universe Deaf Theatre of Cape Town (the only surviving deaf theatre company in SA).
Workshops have been designed to help facilitate communication with deaf people.
The Deaf Federation of KwaZulu-Natal will host the first Deaf SA’s Got Talent.
The show will feature amateur dancers, magicians, comedians and other performers of all ages, competing for a prize.
Darren Rajbal, 2009 winner of television’s SA’s Got Talent, will give a dance workshop providing an opportunity for aspiring dancers, both deaf and hearing, to hone their skills.
The last day of the festival will offer a Short Film Festival featuring films from all over the world produced by deaf film-makers.
For more info, call the theatre at 031 305 6889.